NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS. 75 



In the matters of nomenclature and classification, however, he decidedly 

 leaves room for criticism, if only through the very drastic manner in which 

 he deals with these difficult subjects. I am, nevertheless, quite at one with 

 Dr. Sharpe in his unwavering adherence to the law of priority in respect to. 

 nomenclature, for it is only by recognising this as a fundamental law, and 

 one which must be strictly adhered to, that we can in any measure attempt 

 to produce order amongst what is too frequently confusion. For example, I 

 note that the Eagle Owl rightly ajjpears here as Bubo bubo (Linn.), so paying 

 due recognition to its original describer, and preserving the specific name he 

 conferred upon it, instead of figuring as Bubo ignavus, Forster, or Bubo 

 maximas; Fleming. 



I regret very much that Dr Sharpe should be numbered amongst the 

 opponents of trinomials. I grant that they may constitute a rather " clumsy " 

 method, but 1 cannot agree that they are "unnecessary." In fact, there 

 seems to be as yet no other means of giving a name to a recognised sub- 

 species or race without elevating it to the rank of a species. I find, for 

 instance, that the British form of the Marsh Titmouse, separated by Dr.. 

 Stejneger as Farm palustris dresseri, is treated of by Dr. Sharpe under the 

 name of P. dresseri, as though it were a full species, although the Doctor 

 remarks that it is a barely distinguishable race. 



I have already indicated that the only real fault in these volumes lies in 

 the very mediocre coloured plates, one third of which, in my opinion, might 

 well have been omitted since they are (to say the least) not up to the standard 

 one is entitled to expect in a work of such value as the present. Still it 

 must be admitted that a volume which contains over 300 pages of letterpress 

 and about thirty plates is worth many times six shillings if the plates are to 

 be good enough to escape adverse criticism. 



Vol. 1 contains the whole of the " Passerif ormes ; " vol. 2 the "Picifornies," 

 "Coccyges," " Coraciif ormes," "Striges," " Accipitres," " Pelecaniformes," 

 " Phsenicopterif ormes," and " Anserif ormes ; " Vol, 3, the conclusion of the 

 •' Anseriformes," and the " Ardeiformes," ; ' Gruiformes" and " Charadrii- 

 formes." Dr. Sharpe's classification, needless to say, is largely peculiar to 

 himself, its principal features being the predominance of sub-orders and 

 genera. Still, I am far from advocating a return to the very expansive 

 genera of the older systematists. 



Dr. Sharpe has undoubtedly placed both students and bird-lovers very 

 much in his debt by the production of what is at once a valuable and in- 

 teresting addition to the already long list of works on the British avi-fauna. 



II. K. S. 



