Letters, Announcements , 6fc. 123 



meriltus (op. cit. i. p. 51, pis. xviii. & xix.) antedates the name 

 in present use for the Merlin. Bubo maximus (op. cit. i. 

 p. 8t, pi. Ixxxi.) closes the discussion between Prof. Newton 

 and Dr. Sclater as to the name of the Great Horned Owl in 

 favour of the latter disputant. The authority of Gerini to 

 give binomial names may be disputed on the ground that he 

 is not always binomial ; but exactly the same remark applies 

 to Boddaert. To say nothing of numerous non-binomial 

 names quoted by him from Brisson, we find "Fringilla domi- 

 nicana cristata, mihi " (op. cit. p. 7, no. 103), " Columba turtur 

 viridis, mihi" (op. cit. p. 11, no. 177), ^'Alcedo viridis rufa, 

 mihi " (op. cit. p. 36, no. 592) , &c. It seems to me that sauce 

 for the goose is sauce for the gander, and that the names of 

 Gerini and Boddaert must either both stand or both fall. 

 Either the new names to be found in Gerini must be intro- 

 duced, or the names already adopted from Boddaert must be 

 expunged. 



Surely it is time that a stop was put to any further at- 

 tempts to carry out the law of priority. Where is it all 

 to end? 



The object of the Stricklandian code was to introduce 

 uniformity. In this it has miserably failed. To take a single 

 example, let us see what the honest attempt to carry out the 

 laAv of priority has done towards introducing uniformity in 

 the name of the Lesser Spotted Eagle. A large majority of 

 ornithologists have called and, I am glad to say, still call 

 this interesting bird Aquila navia. Prof. Newton, who 

 admits that he tries to carry out the law of priority regard- 

 less of consequences, calls it Aquila ncevia. I am delighted 

 to find that, for once, we agree upon a disputed point of 

 nomenclature. But Sharpe is equally anxious to carry out 

 the law of priority to the bitter end ; and he calls the bird 

 Aquila maculata. Dresser, who tries to outherod Herod in 

 his blind devotion to the Stricklandian code, calls the bird 

 Aquila pomarina, whilst Gurney, equally anxious to obey the 

 law of priority, calls it Aquila rufonuchalis ! Where is the 

 uniformity of nomenclature that the Stricklandian code was 

 to have produced ? It makes confusion worse cotifoundcd ; 

 and the sooner the law of priority is consigned to the moles 



