On the Nomenclature of the Groups q/'R.atitas. 499 



Southern Division : 1* species added, viz. ditto. 



South-ioest District : 6 or 7t species added, viz. Aquila 

 chrysaetuSj Olmicidium passerinum, Buho ignavus^ Loxia pity- 

 opstttacuSy Garrulus glandarius, Muscicapa parva^ Lagopus 

 albus ?. 



LXII. — The Nomenclature of the Groups ofRatltae. 

 By Alfeed Newton, M.A., F.R.S., V.P.Z.S. 



Since Professor Huxley published (Proc. Zool. Soc. 1867, 

 pp. 415-472) the results of his researches on the classification 

 of Birds, no thinking ornithologist can have doubted that the 

 different groups of his " Order " Ratitce are natural and well- 

 defined, any more than that these groups are severally equi- 

 valent to the so-called " Orders " of Carinatce as accepted by 

 most ornithologists. But ten years have passed away without 

 any one attempting (so far as I know) to give these groups 

 definite names; and noinconsiderable inconvenience has sprung 

 from this abstinence, to put an end to which I now, with the 

 good-will of Prof. Huxley, venture to bring forward some 

 suggestions on the subject. 



I would premise, however, that if, as I believe, these groups 

 are established on a basis even surer than those to which, by 

 the consent of almost all ornithologists, the name of " Order " 

 has been assigned, it would be fitting to apply to the former 

 also the same name. Prof. Huxley, moved by considerations 

 which I fully appreciate, though into them I need not here 

 enter, proposed to treat the whole existing Class Aves as com- 

 posed of but two " Orders," Ratitce and Carinatce. But some 

 deference is due to the views so long entertained by writers 

 who have always been regarded as authorities on the classifi- 

 cation of birds; and though, when compared with the "Orders" 

 of other Classes of Vertebrates, the generally received "Orders " 

 of most ornithologists unquestionably fail to exhibit the same 

 trenchant characters, yet very great confusion would follow 

 were we to give up the title we have been accustomed to apply 

 to these groups of Carinate Birds. It seems to me that the 

 easiest mode of escaping this practical difficulty is to raise the 

 groups Ratitce and Carinatce to the rank of Subclasses :j: ; for 



* Making up to date authentic total for Southern Division of 231. 



t Making- up to date authentic total for South-west District of 174. 



t This was doubtless intended to have been done by Messrs. Sclater 

 and Salvia ('Nomenclator Avium Neotropicalium,' p. iv); but by an 

 obvious oversight the word "Subordo" is printed in place of " Sub- 

 classis," *' Subordo " in its proper sense being used on the opposite page 

 and elsewhere. 



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