50 THE ORNITHOLOGICAL GUIDE. 



fathers of Natural History have wisely employed 

 the Latin language as the source of their nomencla- 

 ture, being generally understood by the learned 

 among all civilized nations.' It is certainly very 

 important that scientific terms should be generally 

 adopted, but before names become well known, the 

 newly proposed one might be followed by the old 

 and Linnean name.* It is essential to the improve- 

 ment of Ornithological science that names — Latin 

 as well as English — be frequently altered ; for when 

 a new system is proposed — and there are now few 

 who advocate the Linnean system — new names must 

 necessarily be introduced, and as new systems are 

 always propounded in works which it is essential 

 for every scientific Naturalist to possess, there would 

 be no fear of the names not being sufficiently known. 

 " I by no means advocate — as Mr. Strickland 

 seems to think — the substituting English for Latin 

 names, but merely wish to effect a reform in the 



* Mr. Blyth has proposed this plan in the Field Naturalist's 

 Magazine, vol. I., p. 335 : — "The chief bar, however, at present to all 

 improvements in classification, is the confusion which is caused by 

 calling the same species by various and different names ; but this con- 

 fusion may, in a great measure, if not entirely, be prevented, by adding 

 to the approved systematic name of an animal, that also by which it 

 was first known and described in systematical nomenclature." For 

 instance; the Whitetailed Ossifrage (Ossifraga albicilla ; Aquila 

 marina of Willughby,) the Solan Gannet (Sula alba, Meyer, 

 Anscr bassanus of Will.) the Carbuncle Kinglet (Rcgulus carbun- 

 culus, Bonap., R. Cuvicrii of Aud.,) the Bearded Pinnoc ( C alamo - 

 philus biarmicus, Leacii, Parus Marmicus, of Linneus) the Sedge 

 Reedling ( Salicaria pliragmitis, Selby, Sylvia pliragmitis, of Bech- 

 stein,) &c. — Wood. 



