T.A.S Allen, Megalestris vs. Catharacta. Lhilv 



On the other hand, names closely similar in form but known to 

 be different etymologically and in significance, as Piciis and Pica, 

 Simla and Simias, should be accepted, but knowingly to add to 

 the list of such names must be considered highly undesirable. 

 Such cases are fortunately few, and afford no support for the re- 

 cently proffered ' one-letter ' rule, which would admit any number 

 of literal variants of the same word, even where they fall not only 

 into the same class of animals but even into the same family, as 

 sometimes happens. Even the most strenuous supporters of this 

 innovation are compelled to admit exceptions to its uniform appli- 

 cation ; and among those who accept it in a modified sense there 

 is lack of agreement as to where the limit should be placed. The 

 'one-letter' rule would not only admit variants due to gender end- 

 ings {cf. Poche, /. r.^), but to different connecting vowels in com- 

 pound words, the use or non-use of the aspirate in certain classes 

 of words of Greek origin, the use of / or //, ;- or rr in many words, 

 the use interchangeably of / and y, etc. Some who reject differ- 

 ences in gender endings as insufficient differentiation, like Chlo- 

 rnrus and Chlonira, admit differentiation due to the use of a 

 different connecting vowel, as in Coutopus and Coiitipiis. It seems 

 therefore more conducive to uniformity to maintain the usages of 

 the A. O. U. Committee on Nomenclature in treating as homo- 

 nyms all variants of the same word, as is generally the custom 

 among naturalists at large, and also exclude emendations, and 

 take names as first proposed by their originators, even if some- 

 times obviously faulty in construction, and extend, as already said, 

 the rule of priority to \h^ forms of names as well as to the names 

 themselves. 



1 Many cases can be cited where the same generic name has been used in 

 all three genders by the same author in the same work or paper, or in differ- 

 ent papers within a short period of time. On this point see Palmer (Index 

 Gen. Mamm., 1904, p. 28) on the case of Pogonias. See also the same author 

 (/. c, p. 23) on ' emendations.' 



