Birds. 2135 



ferinoides ' are objectionable, we turn to those proposed to be substituted by your 

 correspondents ; both are of opinion that the white bar on the wing is a character 

 which should form a foundation for the name, and Mr. Newton suggests the names 

 1 F. leucoptera * and ' white-winged pochard.' It is unnecessary for me to enlarge 

 upon the difficulty of fixing upon a suitable name for this bird, when your two cor- 

 respondents, whose suggestion is of course the result of a careful consideration of the 

 subject, and of a close examination of the bird itself, have thus proposed a name at 

 once incorrect and useless ; incorrect, because — as you observe upon the wrapper of 

 your last number — the bird is not white-winged ; useless, because, amongst nine other 

 British representatives of the genus Fuligula, the common pochard and the long-tailed 

 duck are the only two which have not a white mark on that part of the wing. With 

 respect to Mr. Smith's observation, that the bird is " degraded into a sort of inferior 

 species or satellite," &c, the idea is certainly original, but I think unnecessary ; and 

 observing that in your Catalogue lately published you have printed the name in the 

 same sized type as that of F. ferina, I conclude that you are of the same opinion. 

 The name of Regulus reguloides is inapplicable to the argument, inasmuch as it con- 

 tains a repetition in the same name of the generic appellation ; in the case before us it 

 is the adoption of the specific name of another bird which is objected to ; moreover, as 

 nobody uses it (I never even heard of it before), it should not have been mentioned. 

 The principles upon which your correspondents propose to proceed, in reforming our 

 ornithological nomenclature, are undoubtedly good ; and when they have constructed 

 a catalogue of names to which no objections can be made (and they must remember that 

 all naturalists will not take their dicta, more than those of their predecessors, for law), 

 I have no doubt that it will be gladly adopted. But the difficulty of carrying out 

 these principles is very great. The habits of birds can only be accurately ascertained 

 by repeated observations, and may even differ in the same species, according to the 

 conditions under which it exists. There are several instances, in our present nomen- 

 clature, in which erroneous names have been applied to birds by eminent naturalists, 

 in consequence of only a partial knowledge of their habits. But in many cases, in- 

 cluding that of this new duck, the history of the species as regards its habits is a mere 

 blank, and even if they were ascertained it is probable that they would not materially 

 differ from those of F. ferina. In this case then, when we know nothing of the habits, 

 and no external character presents itself from which a name may be taken, I main- 

 tain that, as some name must of necessity be given, it is better to give one which — 

 whatever may be its defects — is at least sufficient to distinguish the bird from every 

 other species, and does not impress upon the mind any erroneous idea of its habits or 

 appearance. But it appears, from an observation of one of your correspondents, that 

 this much-abused name of F. ferinoides not only possesses the advantages which I 

 have mentioned, but actually conveys a most accurate idea of the bird in question. 

 " The meaning," says Mr. Smith, " if it has any, of Fuligula ferinoides, is the Fuli- 

 gula resembling the ferina" This is in fact precisely the meaning intended to be 

 conveyed, and I must express my gratification at the testimony thus unexpectedly 

 afforded to the excellence of the name. The English name, ' Paget's pochard,' was 

 selected in accordance with a practice very common at the present day, and may or 

 may not be a good one. The scientific name was clearly not translateable for the pur- 

 pose, which, it will perhaps be said, is an argument against its goodness ; but 1 can 

 only repeat, that if your correspondents will find us a name not open to any objection, 

 I have no doubt it will gladly be adopted. Lastly, I may observe that distinction is 



