130 THE AUSTRAL AVIAN RECORD [Vol. IV. 



SHERBORN AND THE SYSTEMATIST. 



By Gregory M. Mathews and Tom Iredale. 



VV^E have previously called attention to the inestimable value 

 of the life-work of C. Davies Sherborn, the Index Animalium, 

 and we emphasise this by the title here chosen, in the hope 

 that our results will attract other workers to study Sherborn's 

 panacea of the systematist. The systematist of the future 

 will refer to the Index Animalium on every opportunity, but 

 it seems a little cruel that the unexampled labour of Sherborn 

 should not be realised during his lifetime. The dreary work 

 entailed in the production of this abnormal and enormous 

 collation of scientific names does not appear to be understood. 

 No honours have been bestowed upon our friend, because he 

 does not advertise. Had he been a foreigner, probably many 

 Enghsh honours would have been conferred as well as numerous 

 local ones. We expect he will be annoyed at this discussion, 

 but it is the truth. We have continually referred to his work 

 and have indicated errors in various authoritative systematic 

 accounts, through lack of reference to the " Index." 



This note is to attract attention to another overlooked bird 

 book brought to our notice by Sherborn, during his compilation 

 of his second volume. The most remarkable fact in connection 

 with this item is its constant quotation by the last generation 

 of British ornithologists, since one of them brought forward 

 one name used in it, viz., Scolopax coelestis. This name is so 

 well known that many of the older school will recognise it, 

 yet in the same place names are proposed of more importance. 

 As we are not specialists in Palsearctic bird forms we will 

 merely note the names proposed in the work, and leave their 

 correct application to the study of Palsearctic workers. 



Scolopax coelestis Frenzel, Beschr. der Vogel und ihrer Eier 

 in der Gegend um Wittenberg, p. 58 (1801), is cited in Yarrell's 

 British Birds, 4th edition, as the basis of Gallinago coelestis 

 (Frenzel) used for the Common Snipe. This was due to Newton 

 who had acquired a copy of Frenzel's work and noted the 

 abo-ve name in it and concluded it was valid and novel. 



