280 NOTES ON NOMENCLATURE IT. 



in past ages did a more illustrious Hierarchy those of a still 

 greater Code. 



In our case, the Prophets and the Law, hang all upon these 

 two precepts : 



Thou shalt not meddle with thy neighbours' names, save 

 under pressure of absolute necessity. 



Thou shalt watch carefully lest thou fall into errors such as we 

 now regret in our predecessors. 



I have, in ignorance, alas ! too often transgressed the latter 

 law, but I know better now, thanks to the Code, what sins 

 to guard against, and having made this public recantation survive 

 in the humble hope of becoming, in due time, a good codist ! 



In conclusion, it is only due to the many friends I now" 

 number amongst continental ornithologists to add that, while I 

 never can cease publicly or privately to denounce in the most 

 unqualified terms the system so prevalent abroad of disregard- 

 ing priority (on, as Strickland truly says, "the most frivolous 

 pretexts") as one of " robbery and wrong/' I am not so 

 intolerant as to impute the smallest blame personally to those 

 •who, viewing that system as a beneficial one, work it out 

 uncompromisingly to its logical conclusions. 



I would argue with them ; I would try and convince them 

 that their system is one that sacrifices substance to shadow, 

 important facts to sound ; that they have really no general 

 Code, but are each working on their own separate modifications ; 

 that they had better join us and so at least have some (even if 

 not the best conceivable) absolutely fixed basis for their nomen- 

 clature ; but so long as they remain unconvinced, I hold them 

 entirely right in adhering to what they believe in, and while 

 persistently abusing their system and reviling their acts, I 

 none the less feel for them, each and all, the regard and 

 respect due to brother soldiers, who, though with greater 

 talents and skill and in more exalted positions, are fighting 

 on the same side and in the same cause as myself. 



