ORNITHOLOGICAL NOMENCLATURE. 



Much confusion has arisen in Natural History 

 through the general ignorance of the true principles 

 of Nomenclature. I have on this account thought 

 it advisable to devote a few pages to the discussion 

 of this neglected but important subject. In the first 

 place — every genus must have a separate generic 

 name. This rule is observed in Latin, but not in 

 English — it is however as necessary in the latter as 

 in the former. This is admitted by scientific persons 

 in theory, but not acted on in practice. In order to 

 prove this I will take a few instances from Selby's 

 British Ornithology, one of the best works in exis- 

 tence on the birds of Britain. The Coccothraustes 

 vulgaris, Willughby, is here called "Haw Finch" 

 the " Plectrophd?ies nivalis, Meyer — " Snow Bun- 

 ting," the Silvia melodia, Blyth — " Yellow Wren" 

 the Melizophilus provincialis, Leach — Dartford 

 Warbler, and many others equally erroneous, and 

 equally likely to mislead. If we hear an unscientific 

 person calling the Accentor modularis, " Hedge 

 Sparrow," we cannot much blame him, because it 

 would be unfair to expect him to know the affinities 

 of our sombre little guest the Hedge Dunnoc, or its 



