THE ORNITHOLOGICAL GUIDE. 49 



naturalist calls this bird the Hedge Accentor. Now 

 although there is no scientific error in this 

 name, yet it is, in my opinion, too pedantic for 

 common use. Selby seems rather partial to using 

 Latin names in English ; thus he has, the Egyptian 

 Neophron, (Neophron percnopterus,) the Swallow- 

 tailed Elanus, (Elanus furcatus,) the Goldcrested 

 Regulus, (Regulus auricappillus,) the Hedge and 

 Alpine Accentors, ( Accentor modularis and A. al- 

 pinus,) &c. It is evident enough that there is no 

 essential objection to any of these names; still, 

 however, it is probable that the generality of those 

 who read works on natural history would not adopt 

 them. But who can object to the name White- 

 headed Forktail (Elanus leucocephali(s, mild,) or to 

 the beautiful and expressive name Kinglet (Regu- 

 lus ?) 



"Even supposing that the science of Ornithology 

 did 'not suffer by this incorrect (and Mr. Strick- 

 land allows it to be incorrect) applications of 

 English names,' yet the difficulties thus placed, 

 unnecessarily, in the way of the student, would 

 sufficiently wan-ant the change of the names. Any- 

 thing loose or unscientific is totally inadmissible 

 in science. Science is surely sufficiently abstruse 

 in itself without heaping upon it inaccuracies which 

 render it ten times more difficult ! But to proceed. 



" Mr. Strickland observes that ' the fust and 

 most important requisite in scientific terms is that 

 they should be universally adopted, and hence the 



