Recently published Ornithological Works. 635 
systems—“ elimination” and “selection of the first species,”— 
Dr. Allen takes the genera of North-American birds for a 
trial test, with the view of discovering which of the two 
systems will involve the greater number of changes of names. 
The last edition of the ‘Check-list’? and its supplements 
contain the names of 415 genera and subgenera. ‘These are 
all discussed by Dr. Allen in due order, and their types and 
the reasons for selecting the typesare clearly explained. Before 
this is done, however, two chapters are introduced concerning 
the “‘ First Reviser” and “ Brissonian Genera.” The “ First 
Reviser” is defined to be “ the author who first designates a 
type for a genus originally proposed without a type.” The 
usage of the Brissonian generic names, as first proposed in 
the Report of the British Association Committee on Nomen- 
clature in 1842, is strongly advocated, and has until recently, 
as Dr. Allen correctly states, met with nearly universal 
acceptance. 
In the summary of his useful paper Dr. Allen shews that 
the adoption of the ‘‘ Elimination” plan would necessitate 
the change of only 4 generic names of North-American 
Birds, whereas the “ First-species ”’ scheme, if strictly applied, 
would result in the alteration of at least 15 generic terms, 
and would affect the names of 27 species and 15 subspecies. 
He therefore pronounces in favour of the former scheme, 
and those who deprecate changes of names of any sort, 
when they can be avoided, will doubtless agree with him. 
But there are others, we fear, who delight in the process of 
hunting up forgotten names and actually take credit to 
themselves for discovering them. 
In conclusion, we venture to make a few remarks on some 
of Dr. Allen’s determinations, although we fear that they 
may cause us to be included in his category of those 
“temperamental kickers who ignore any rule that is contrary 
to their personal tastes or preferences” (!). 
In the first place, we cannot allow that mistakes and faults 
in writing generic names are not to be corrected when their 
derivations are obvious. We should, therefore, write 
Aithyia (not Aithya), Leptoptila (not Leptotila), Cistrelata 
