1922.] NomcndatKve and Snhspecles. 319 



After all, the Japanese may say that the little island of 

 Yaknshima has just as good a right to its own peculiar form 

 of Tit as St. Kilda has to a peculiar form of Wren, or the 

 Outer Hebrides to a peculiar Thrush, 



These papers were followed up by Mr. Bonhote (This, 



1921, p. 720) in a paper on "Subspecies and their part in 

 Evolution," in which he agrees with Col. Meiuertzhagen 

 that "a mutation cannot establish a subspecies, since to my 

 mind a subspecies is entirely an environmental or geographic 

 form/' and ends hy asking, "Have we any definite knowledge 

 of a new species originating as a mutation?^' He mentions 

 Pavo nir/ripennis and Athene chiaradio' Giglioli, This, 1903, 

 p. 1, as possible exceptions. 



Dr. Lowe in his letter on Species and Subspecies (Ibis, 



1922, p. 179) gives us, however, three concrete examples of 

 discontinuous or mutational subspecies as follows : — Pluvialis 

 apr'icar'ius oreopldlos Meinertz. (Bull. B. O.C. xlii. 1921, p. 6), 

 Podiceps cristatus infuscatus Salvad., and Querguedula discors 

 alhimicha Kennard, which latter case he considers specially 

 interesting because the chai'acter which distinguishes it 

 has apparently not as yet been completely and permanently 

 established. He goes on to indicate briefly the fundamental 

 difference between these discontinuous or mutational varia- 

 tions, and the superficial somatic changes induced by mere 

 environment. He points out how the former owe their 

 origin to deep-seated gametic factors, indicating by way of 

 proof, in a footnote, how in the twinkling of an eye, as it 

 were, a form which is to all intents and purposes nothing 

 else than Genmrus lineatus can be produced by the crossing 

 of G. liorsjieldi and G. nijdhenierus. It is to this new 

 conception of the origin of species, a conception we owe to 

 the work done by the followers of Mendel, that ornithologists 

 must in the future turn their attention, or so at least he 

 seems to suggest. Dr. Lowe concludes by saying that 

 though it is impossible as yet to deal with the question of 

 subspecies and their classification, he hopes that the subject 

 will be more carefully and thoughtfully stiulied. And I 

 particularly recommend the perusal of all these papers to 



