After this strong but reluctant expression of his opinion with 

 respect to the growing practice of unnecessarily altering generic 

 names, it may be expected that the writer should state his reasons 

 for having in a very few instances ventured himself to reject the 

 generic names of others and to propose new ones in their place. 

 But these are cases of a very different character, in whicli the re- 

 tention of the older names woidd be calculated to give rise to am- 

 biguity, and thus to defeat the very object for which "proper" 

 names are used. They consist of two classes : in the first the same 

 name has been previously employed in other branches of Natural 

 History ; and such repetitions have an obvious tendency to create 

 confusion. " We should," says Mr. Swainson, " not know, in fact, 

 which was intended, a butterfly or a plant, a quadruped or a spider. 

 When such repetitions are discovered, the name first imposed or 

 employed is to be retained, and a new one given to the other group. 

 Thus Urania in Entomology is an old genus in Botany, it is there- 

 fore now changed to Leilus ; Lopkyrus in Ornithology, an old genus 

 in Entomology, is now changed to Ptilophyrus." The sanction of 

 authors of note to changes so imperatively called for has induced 

 the writer in this general view of Ornithology to follow their ex- 

 ample by striking out such equivocal names ; but he has always en- 

 deavoured, where it was possible, to supply their place with names 

 from the older authors, in preference to inventing new ones of his 

 own. The second class comprehends a few generic names, differing 

 only in termination from others previously in use, and consequently 

 liable to be confounded with them. Here again he has the sanction 

 of high authority for this very necessary change. Thus the name 

 of Ocypterus has been rejected by Dr. Horsfield, who has substituted 

 for it that of Leptopteryx, a genus under the name of Ocyptera ha- 

 ving been previously established in Entomology ; and Alectura has 

 been changed by Mr. Swainson into Catheturus, on account of the 

 name of Alecturus having been previously applied to another genus 

 of birds. The repetition of sounds so nearly similar as these would 

 inevitably tend to confuse ; and the few cases in which they occur 

 have therefore been treated in the same manner as those of the 

 former class. 



A great deal might easily be said on the subject of the different 



