MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 1355 



International Commission, which discusses doubtful cases, and brings them 

 up finally before the International Zoological Commission for decision. 

 Unsightly taxitonymy, such as Apus apus apus, or Troglodytes troglodytes 

 troglodytes, is of no moment (Article 33). 



As some doubts exist in regard to the use of trinomials for subspecies 

 (geographical races), the authors of the "Hand-List" explain that when a 

 species is divided into two or more races, or when two or more species are 

 grouped as races of one species, then each of these races must have 

 a trinomial appellation. It being impossible to say which is the oldest or 

 parent form, the first named race of all those grouped under one species is, 

 therefore, arbitrarily taken as the typical race, and its name becomes that 

 of the species. 



Applying these principles to a specific case, let us take that of the Raven 

 as an example, and see how the revised nomenclature, in regard to the 

 Indian birds, works out. The typical race of this Raven must, if it is to be 

 distinguished from the Tibetan or Punjab birds, be designated Corvus 

 Corax Corax, Linnseus. As Hodgson was the first Naturalist to describe 

 the Tibetan race under the binomial " Corvus tibetanus " , then this, we 

 take it, becomes, under the new Rules, Corvus corax tibetanus, Hodgson 

 Similarly as regards the Punjab Raven. Hume originally described this as 

 " Corvus lawrencii ", and it would now become Corvus corax laiorencii, 

 Hume, and so on for other races. 



This " splitting" of species will doubtless be very distasteful to the old 

 school of " lumpers" , but its advantages in leading to a more exact 

 knowledge of the distribution of birds can hardly be overestimated. We 

 notice that the reformed system of nomenclature has been adopted by 

 Messrs. Baxter and Rintoul in their Report on Scottish Ornithology for 

 1911, and it is apparently only a question of time now before it comes 

 into general use. That we must now all fall into line and revise our 

 labels is inevitable, but will it be too much to hope that our Society will 

 take early steps, in consultation with experts in Europe, to help their 

 field workers by having the binomial system of nomenclature used by 

 Blanford in his Aves thoroughly overhauled, and by issuing a Hand-List 

 of revised scientific names as required by the International Zoological 

 Congress ? In such a "List " the synonymy need be as brief as possible ,- 

 references being simply given, as in the "Hand-List of British Birds", to 

 the earliest names, and the typical locality for the bird described under 

 that name. 



P. T. L. DODSWORTH, p.z.s., m.b.o.u. 



Simla, S. W., 22nd August 1912. 



[We understand that a revised list of the birds of India giving- the various races 

 is in preparation by one of our members at home. — >Eds.] 



