420 Prof. A. Newton on some Moot Points 



of synonyms that, from one cause or another, enfolds almost 

 every object with which he has to deal. Of such rules, the 

 code adopted by the British Association, after the consultation 

 of almost every eminent naturalist at home and abroad, and 

 after more than twenty years' deliberation, is naturally that 

 to which the student turns, and is that by which, if he has 

 any respect for the opinion of others, he will be governed. 

 In one very small department of zoology I have tried to carry 

 out these rules ; and I am glad to say that my efforts so far 

 have been favourably regarded by many of my fellow-workers. 

 It is, however, impossible to please everybody ; and two of my 

 friends lately deemed it their duty to demur to some of the 

 decisions at which, in obedience to that code, I had arrived. 

 Their objections 1 essayed to answer without delay (suprh, 

 pp. 158-163) ; and from the communications of several corre- 

 spondent- I judge that my reply has been pretty generally 

 considered to be conclusive. 1 then said that I had no desire 

 to convert my critics ; and 1 certainly had no expectation that 

 1 should do so. On the other hand, I did not anticipate that 

 one of them would so immediately begin to prefer a fresh 

 series of charges against me, such as I find in ' The Ibis ' for 

 October, which reached me yesterday, and this, I may re- 

 mark, without deigning to take any direct notice of my former 

 reply. I am now accused of disturbing nomenclature by 

 changes which are both "frivolous" and "revolutionary," 

 of having (in conjunction with others) " gradually under- 

 mined " the principles of the aforesaid code, of being guilty 

 of " flagrant offences " in violation of the same, of pursuing 

 a " reckless course," of " corrupting the ornithological 

 morality " (whatever that may mean) of the age, and gene- 

 rally of high crimes and misdemeanors. I therefore ask the 

 dispassionate attention of the readers of this journal while I 

 try to clear myself from the charges upon which I am thus 

 peremptorily arraigned — premising that, with all the humility 

 which ought to be displayed by a defendant, I shall not throw 

 back hard words on my assailant. 



Mr. Seebohm's opinions I do not wish to influence ; but it 

 is incumbent on me to correct his assertions when they are 

 contrary to fact. He may think that the code of the British 

 Association requires amendment — even to the extent of five 

 " riders " to be added to one rule — or total abolition ; and I 

 have no desire to check the utterance of his expression; but 

 when he states (Ibis, 1879, p. 429) that, "to make confusion 

 more confounded," Mr. Sharpe followed my " unfortunate 

 lead " through two volumes of his ' Catalogue of Birds,' I am 

 bound to say that out of thirty-four species of Accipitres 



