Letters, Extracts, Notices, &;c. 421 



XXXVII r. — Letters, Extracts, Notices, ^c. 



We have received the following letters, addressed ''to the 

 Editors of The Ibis' ^^:— 



Sirs, — The reviewer of my volume on the Chenomorphse, 

 Crypturi, and Ratitse in the last number of 'The Ibis/ 

 although speaking very kindly of my work, has criticized 

 some of the results I arrived at. 



Firstj dividing systematists between " lumpers " and 

 " splitters,^' he thinks that I have yielded too freely to the 

 tendency of splitting, both in tlie matter of generic and 

 specific divisions, especially as regards the species of Tina- 

 mous. As I have introduced no new genera among the 

 latter, I suppose that the " furor genericus/' as it was once 

 called by Dr. Hartlaub, has reference to the Ducks, to which 

 I have added four new genera. I am sorry that the reviewer 

 has not shown that there was no good ground for them. As 

 to the number of new species established by me, fourteen of 

 which belong to the Tiiiamous, I shall confine myself to the 

 remark that the Tinamous, forming a very difficult and 

 obscure group, had never been thoroughly studied before I 

 tried to do so, and I shall wait quite confidently for the 

 next monographist of the group to hear his verdict about my 

 new species. 



The second point on which I am criticized refers to the 

 changes of nomenclature proposed by me, and which the 

 reviewer declares are absolutely alarming ! He mentions 

 particularly the Bean Goose and the White-eyed Duck, 

 which I have respectively called Anser fabalis (Lath.) and 

 Nyroca ufricana (Gm.) *. 



As to Anser fabalis, the reviewer admits that Anas fabalis, 

 Lath., has priority over Anas seyetum, Gm., but he deems it 

 convenient to regard it as withdrawn by Latham and 

 obsolete. I do not know whether ornithologists who stick 

 to the " demon of priority " will agree with the reviewer. 



* I do not suppose that the reviewer objects to my having restored 

 the name Chauna chavaria to the Venezuelan bird generally known as 

 Ch. derbuata, a change which ought to have been made long ago. 



