238 NOTES ON NOMENCLATURE. I. 



At page 415, Vol. I., Stray Feathers, Mr. Mandelli defin- 

 ed a very distinct genus. under the name of Heterorliynehus. 



In the Ibis for 1875, Lord Walden alters this name to Spheno- 

 cichla, on the grounds that Mr. Mandelli's name has been 

 previously employed by Lafresnaye. 



But Ueterorhpichus, Lafresnaye, is not a name " still retained 

 for any genus," being a mere synonym of Hemignathus, Licht. 



It appears to me that, according to the British Association, 

 Code Lord Walden is wrong and Mr. Mandelli's name must stand. 



Mr. Mandelli was very naughty to give such a name, but 

 that is his and his scientific conscience's look out, and even the 

 "Autocrat of the Zoo" cannot legally set the name aside. 



In the Ibis for 1874 Lord Walden changed Blyth's name of 

 tl punctatus" for our Spotted Wren, to a name of his own 

 " formosus" on the grounds that in 1823 Brehm had applied 

 the term "punctatus" to the common European Wren. 



Quite unaware at that time that I had the support of the 

 British Association rules, (which I had not then seen) I pro- 

 tested against this injustice to Blyth and said — 



" Had Brehm's name stood for the species to which it was 

 applied, the proposed change would be correct ; but, as a fact, 

 the name does not stand ; it has become a mere synonym, 

 is dead for our purposes, and therefore the adjective punctatus 

 is again available to characterize some other species of the 

 genus. Blyth did thus utilize it, and his name punctatus 

 should, in my opiuion, most assuredly stand." 



This I now find is the British Association view of such 

 cases, but they would add " it is a pity that Blyth did not take 

 a quite new title, and we advise you never to follow his example 

 in similar cases, but still he having given this name, it can- 

 not be now altered/' 



Not long ago both Mr. Brooks and Mr. Gould saw fit to 

 alter the name of my Sturnus nitens, because that multinominal 

 miscreant * Brehm had once applied the term nitens {and five 

 others) to the common Starling. But here again they had no 

 locus standi. They are British naturalists, bound by all patriotic 

 impulses, to abide by the British Association Code, and under the 

 provisions of this latter my name nitens is a good and sufficient 

 one. 



But some frivolous individual may possibly object that 

 I myself (S. F., IV., 512) re-named the species " ambiguus" and 

 cui bono, if the name nitens would stand ? well, in the first place, 

 I did not then know that I had the British Association rules on 

 my side. 



* I use this merely in the literal active sense of creator of bad species. I am not 

 prepared to make any grammatical defence. 



