1922.] Nomenclature and Suh specie !<. 317 



very ably the ideas of the previous letters referred to, and 

 deals with five points on which the opinions of many of us 

 seem to be very undecided at present. A careful study of 

 this paper is essential, because most of the points which Col. 

 Meinertzhagcn raises, are illustrated by examples from his 

 own knowledge of birds, and he ]);uticidarly emphasizes the 

 fact that the truth of Mendelian theory rests largely upon 

 artificial ex{)eriments on plants, animals, and birds under 

 artificial conditions controlled by man, and not on con- 

 ditions which exist in wild nature. He says that he can 

 call to mind no geographical race which can be ascribed to 

 mutation. He believes "that all such are due to environ- 

 ment or isolation, both being geographical factors. A 

 mutation has nothing whatever to do with geography." 

 As to the value of a subspecies he gives excellent reasons 

 for accepting them, as the shortest, most scientific, and con- 

 venient way of referring to geographical variation, and 

 concludes by saying, " But there are still a few (and I am 

 afraid the number is growing) who regaid the trinomial 

 system as a simple and quick way of gaining notoriety, 

 while others look on the method as a confusing and unneces- 

 sary invention of the devil." The former class I desire to 

 suppress by some form of boycott ; of the latter class I have 

 no personal knowledge. 



(vol. Meinertzhagcn has devoted an immense deal of time 

 and energy, not only in collecting and making field-notes 

 on his collections (r/. Ibis, 1921, pp. (J21-G71 and 1922, 

 pp. 1-74), but has taken unusual pains to name his collec- 

 tion with Dr. Hartert^s help in Lord Rothschild's nniscnnn. 

 It is evident that in very many cases he was unable to come 

 to any satisfactory conclusion as to how far his specimens 

 could be identified with the numerous subspecies recognised 

 in Hartert^s great catalogue. I should not wonder if these 

 cases were little-known African birds; but it is just those 

 couimon and wide-ranging birds, such as the Ravens, Crows, 

 Sparrows, and Larks, in which the worst confusion occurs. 

 With re<iard to the Crested Larks, Col. Meinertzhagen's 

 reuiarks on the influence, or want of influence, which 



