I08 R^^iew. [,,fXt. 



Mathews not only reversed his opinion, formed " from ample 

 material and after careful consideration," but increased the number 

 of genera of Austrahan birds from 276 to 495. Mr. Mathews thus 

 first reduced the number of genera by 18 per cent., and then shortly 

 afterwards increased the number of genera recognized in the 

 " Reference-list " by almost 80 per cent. If, pendulum-hke, he 

 swung too far on the side of reduction in the " Reference-hst," is 

 it not possible that he has swung too far on the side of increase 

 in "A List of the Birds of Australia" ? 



The number of genera (495) for 666 species is large ; each genus 

 contains on an average only 1.3 species. 381 (76.9 per cent.) of 

 the genera contain one Australian species each ; 82 (16.5 per cent.) 

 contain two Australian species each ; and only 14 (2.8 per cent.) 

 contain more than three Australian species. Some of the generic 

 names used by Mr. Mathews in "The Birds of Australia" and 

 The Austral Avian Record appear in the new list as synonyms. 

 This is, in some cases at least, probably due to the awaiting of 

 an ofificial opinion from the International Commission on Zoo- 

 logical Nomenclature. It is noted that Ypsilophorus, proposed as 

 a substitute name for Synoicus (antedated by Synoicum), is listed 

 as a synonym. Mimeta (1827) ^^.s possibly forestalled by 

 Mimetes (1826), and Mr. Mathews has again placed his proposed 

 substitute name as a synonym. " One-letterism " is a trouble- 

 some question. Apiis (a Swift, not a crustacean). Apis (the bee), 

 and Aphis are well-known names in zoological literature. If the 

 Commission should decide that only one of these names can be 

 used, confusion must follow; and this is only one instance. 



"The A.O.U. Check-list of North American Birds," third edition, 

 has 229 of the 801 species divided into sub-species and 625 North 

 American birds are named trinomially. Mr. Mathews has 

 eclipsed these figures in " A List of the Birds of Australia." He 

 has divided 483 of his 666 species into sub-species, and has named 

 1,426 Australian birds trinomially — more than double the number 

 so named for North America in the A.O.LL " Check-list." Over 

 80 of the trinomial sub-specific names of the " Reference-list " 

 appear in the new list as synonyms, and 77 of about 230 new sub- 

 specific names published in The Austral Avian Record during the 

 short time between the publication of the " Reference-list " and 

 the completion of the new list are reduced by their author to 

 synonyms. The large number of synonyms — about one-third of 

 the whole in the case of those first published in The Austral Avian 

 Record — is at least indicative of Mr. Mathews's candour and 

 determination to make his work as perfect as possible. Probably 

 it also indicates that finality has not yet been reached. 



With regard to birds, there is not much difference between 

 the " Ofticial Check-list of the Birds of Austraha " and Mr. 

 Mathews's new list. One interesting case is the Grey Teal. 

 Captain S. A. White, the well-known Australian field worker, in 

 the last number of The South Australian, Ornithologist, supports 

 the R. A.O.U. Check-Hst Committee in approving the undoubted 



