244 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



arbitrary naming of varieties, such as sports and abnormalities. 

 And the question is, what status is this principle likely to obtain 

 in biology ? The status that trinomialism has already acquired 

 in ornithology is this : that it is likely in the near future to receive 

 the sanction of the entire body of the American Ornithologists' 

 Union, and is already in use by ornithologists almost without 

 exception in this country. Likewise, in Europe, the trinomial 

 system is beginning to be employed in the very stronghold of 

 British conservatism in the British Ornithologists' Union — one 

 of the leading ornithologists in that country liaving recently 

 published some monographs of bii'ds, in which that system is 

 applied. Trinomialism is known as the " American school " of 

 ornithology, and the central idea is the " American idea " of 

 ornithology. It is in general use in this country. 



Under these circumstances, speaking as one who is largely 

 responsible for the growth and spread of trinomial nomenclature, 

 I have no hesitation in laying the matter before the Academy, for 

 an exi^ression of the views of members present, as to its applica- 

 bility to other branches of biology, and to inquire whether it 

 seems likely to become a permanent feature of biological science. 



In the discussion which followed upon this communication, 

 Dr. Theo. Gill said that the question so well discussed by Dr. 

 Coues was one of terminology, but not only one of terminology. 

 It was well known to all how much these terminological appliances 

 had accelerated and facilitated research. The views expi*essed 

 were almost a necessary result of profound study of our bird 

 fauna, and the logical application of the doctrine of evolution. 



In a time when belief in the creation of animals was practically 

 universal, the name given to any si)ecies indicated the condition 

 of things under which an animal was supposed to have come into 

 existence. Had the animals of tliis country alone been studied, 

 we would ultimately have been led to believe in the doctrine of 

 evolution. No one could take up the study of the birds or other 

 animals of this country without seeing that between certain 

 extremes, the ditferences are so radical that dififerentiation into 

 species would be necessarj'. Such had been the history' of 

 ornithology. In early times we knew simply the birds of the 

 Eastern slope. Then we named them as species with limited 

 range of variation. Later, numbers of forms were obtained in 



