22 THE ORNITHOLOGICAL GUIDE. 



so long will field naturalists and ordinary observers 

 retain it: — the scientific should guide the ignorant, 

 and not, as is too often the case, be led by them. 

 The former by adopting the errors of the latter, 

 reflect them back to their originators with double 

 force. Man is an imitative animal, but then he must 

 not let the imitative part of his nature stifle his rea- 

 soning powers. 



For further remarks on this part of Nomenclature 

 I shall refer to Xos. X, XI, and XII of the Analyst, 

 (vol. II. p. 238, 305, and 419.) At page 419 will be 

 found an able refutation of the arguments brought 

 forward in p. 317 against the adoption of correct 

 names. One of Mr. Strickland's arguments is so 

 puerile that I am at a loss to imagine how any one 

 could have brought it forward,, but it serves to show 

 how miserably weak the anti-improvement arguments 

 are. He says, " we are much more likely to be un- 

 derstood," if we give the common name whether it 

 be erroneous or otherwise, " though, continues he, I 

 willingly admit that it is unscientific to give the 

 same generic name to an Accentor and a Passe?'.'' 

 Going on this ground we might argue 4br speaking 

 bad grammar, and false pronunciation, defending 

 them by saying that among a large class of persons 

 we should thus be much better understood! "If a 

 principle is good," says one of our first Naturalists, 

 " its advantages will be more and more apparent, the 

 more it is followed out in detail. Tit is is an, axiom.'' 

 This being the case, Mr. Strickland's principle is 



