212 



BRITISH BIRDS. 



6*7 to 6'0 inch. In Asia Minor intermediate forms, however, occur, 

 varying in length of wing from 6'15 to 5'85 inch. Some ornithologists 

 consider the Eastern form a distinct sjtecies, which they recognize under 

 the name of Turdus hodysoni ; but as intermediate forms occur, it can only 

 rank as a subspecies or local race. 



American ornithologists would undoubtedly call this bird T. viscivorus, 

 var. hodgsoni. There can be no doubt that this form of nomenclature, 

 though somewhat complicated, has the great advantage of showing at a 

 glance the affinities of the bird. It is impossible for our nomenclature to 

 denote the degree of relationship which exists between species. To 

 attempt to express this would be to return to the old mode of designating 

 a species by a sentence. Were these local varieties rare, ornithologists 

 would not have much difficulty in remembering which names only repre- 

 sented subspecific forms ; but modern researches have shown us many 

 local varieties, and there can be little doubt that many more remain 

 to be discovered. If we still retain the binomial system of nomenclature 

 for all these local races, our catalogues of birds will be doubled if not 

 trebled in length, and will become exceedingly misleading. I see no other 

 alternative to avoid this except to join our American ornithologists in 

 reviving the system of nomenclature originally proposed by Linnaeus and 

 already adopted by botanists. 



