Vi A MANUAL OF THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 



possible. The older writers desired notoriety with the least labour, and their 

 ambition was quantity, not quality. Consequently, accuracy in detail was 

 not possible, as such would have curtailed production. The aim of the writers 

 has ever been to allow of good work to those who, through lack of opportunity 

 of access to complete literature, are dependent upon few books. Hence the 

 nomenclature in this work is more complete than has ever been offered to any 

 students in any previous book. The International Laws and Opinions have 

 been followed in detail, save in the one exception of similarly formed words 

 of the same origin. At the present time the recommendation regarding 

 the acceptance of such names is a dead-letter, and so we have treated it as 

 such, especially in view of the preparation of authoritative lists by Committees 

 of World Ornithologists who have, so far, agreed to our methods of usage. 

 There is nothing more to be said on this " contentious " subject, as there 

 need be no further discussions, save where a few of the older men stubbornly 

 argue non-debatable items. 



Genus splitting has long been confused in the arguments of careless 

 commentators with nomenclature, but it has no connection and should be 

 dealt with in the consideration of classification ; we do not agree with the 

 famous ornithologist who considered the nomination of a bird-skin in a cabinet 

 the highest work achievable, and consequently demurred at name changes. 



II. CLASSIFICATION. 



In the Austral Avian Record, Vol. IV., pp. 29-48, we have given a sketch 

 of the scheme we propose to follow in this book, and we will not detail it 

 here, but cite the allied groups as we deal with the Austral orders, etc. It 

 is necessary, however, to indicate the present state of bird systematics by 

 synopsising the characters hitherto utilised. 



Superficial features were first employed in a superficial manner but 

 more recently attention has been given to the growth stages whereby con- 

 vergence has been noted and its significance recognised. Thus the tarsal 

 covering may show certain features in the adult, and examination of the 

 nestling prove the adult formation to be secondary. It was long ago evident 

 that assistance could be gained from study of internal features, and a few 

 anatomists wrote essays on particular items, such as Nitzsch's on the Carotid 

 Arteries. Nitzsch also showed that taxonomic evidence might be gained 

 from study of the pterylosis of birds, and his well-known work on Pterylography 

 is a standard, but little work has since been done on the subject. Then came 

 the epoch-making study by Huxley of the skulls of birds and his revolutionary 

 re-classification thereof. Had the superficial characters been thoroughly 

 understood his essay would have caused little dismay but simply advanced 

 our science a little more rapidly. As it was, the anatomists continued their 

 researches and working upon new ground were apt to overrate the differences 

 observed. The culmination appeared in a series of articles which laid stress 

 on the shape of the nasal openings, the presence or absence of caeca, the presence 



