34



hence some perplexity, which is not diminished by the aforesaid

ignorance of those who import such birds. With some remark¬

able and laudable exceptions, they give, unwittingly, most

misleading information about their origin. Over and over again

I have been offered two birds of different species as cock and

hen of the same. In some cases, few I hope, imaginary names

are assigned to importations, supposed to be attractive to

purchasers. I have quite lately known of an instance in which

a large and unattractive importation were for a time advertised

as “ Bronze-winged Doves from Africa,” and subsequently as

“ Bronze-winged Doves from India.” Of course this diversity

of nomenclature, both on the part of scientific societies and

unscientific vendors, causes much confusion and uncertainty.

It may be said that a practical aviculturist takes pleasure in his

birds apart from their scientific names ; this may be so, but, as

I take it, the great objeCt of our Society is to bring together

those bird-lovers who are scientific and those who are not.

Accurate knowledge of the native climate of any bird helps

towards its proper treatment in captivity; not to mention

that most of us like to be duly informed of the species we

possess.


2nd. The older ornithologists were addicted to giving very

fantastic names to their discoveries, some of which have stuck

to them. E.g .: Bevaillant, one of the most interesting travellers

and ornithologists of the last century, named a small Dove

which he found in Caffre-laud and elsewhere in South Africa,

the “Emerald Dove,” because, when in full plumage, a tiny

speck with a green gloss is to be found on its wing. The name

survives, but in different colledtious I have found it attributed to

different breeds; this is not very surprising, because Eevaillant’s

own description of it is at variance with his beautiful illustration

in the 6th vol. of “ Oiseaux d’Afrique.”


3rd. Though much information is to be gathered from the

study of stuffed specimens and preserved skins, there are often

two things lacking, of much importance in the identification of

species:


(a) The corredl colour of eyes.


fbj That of beak and feet.


I11 a preserved skin, the former is, of course, entirely lost; and

the latter much changed. In the case of many stuffed specimens,

the stuffer has little to guide him beyond the skin itself; hence

wrong eyes are used,] and incorreCt colour given to beaks and

legs.



