48 THE ORNITHOLOGICAL GUIDE. 



Why Natural History should be doomed to possess 

 so loose and unscientific a nomenclature, while that 

 of all other sciences is so exact and precise, I am 

 really at a loss to determine. I remember when I 

 first entered on the study of Ornithology, I actually 

 supposed the ' Bull Finch' to be a true* Finch; and 

 is this to be wondered at ? I had heard that every 

 bird had a generic and a specific name, and, there- 

 fore, it was quite natural to conclude that the generic 

 name indicated the genus to which the species 

 belonged ; how grievously I was mistaken, the works 

 of any modem Ornithologist will amply testify. 



"The number of naturalists (field naturalists 

 especially) is now so great, that were the proper 

 English names given in all standard Ornithological 

 works, the multitude would insensibly follow in the 

 steps of the professor. For the amateur naturalist 

 would use in common conversation such names as 

 they had been accustomed to meet with in books. 

 Thus the name Gallinule has now almost wholly 

 superseded the absurd name 'Water Hen.' The 

 Naturalist should direct the multitude, and not the 

 multitude the Naturalist. 



"If Mr. Strickland objects to the name Hedge 

 Dunnoc, what will he say to that used by Selby, in 

 his masterly work, the British. Ornithology ; in 

 both the first and second editions, that excellent 



* The word true had better have been omitted here : see the Analyst, 

 vol. II, p. 437, in a review of volume II, of SwAiNSOiVs System of 

 Nature. 



