Birds. 553 



Nomenclature of British Birds. I have received numerous letters on this subject, 

 in addition to those which appear in the preceding page, and advocating the claims 

 of one or other of our British authors : the publication of these would, from the diver- 

 sity of opinions expressed, further demonstrate the necessity for a new nomenclature. 

 Two of my correspondents agree in recommending Mr. Yarrell's nomenclature: the 

 remainder are solitary advocates each of his favourite authority. I incline to think 

 ' The Zoologist,' combining as it does the ornithological talent of the kingdom, in a 

 manner never attained by any other work, periodical or otherwise, should have a no- 

 menclature of its own. Taking this view of the case, and fearing my own incapacity 

 for the task, I addressed the Rev. J. C. Atkinson on the subject, earnestly soliciting 

 his assistance, and he has most generously undertaken to serve me in this emergency. 

 Mr. Atkinson's obliging reply is printed below : and I beg of my readers to lend him 

 every assistance, and trust I need scarcely enforce the necessity there is for the exer- 

 cise of great care in transmitting information respecting provincial nomenclature. — 

 Edward Neivman ; Hanover St., Peckham, May 2, 1844. 



Dear Sir. — In compliance with the wish you have expressed in your note of the 

 29th of April, I beg to intimate ray willingness to undertake the compilation of a sys- 

 tem of British ornithological nomenclature, to be adopted as the nomenclature of ' The 

 Zoologist.' My letter to you, an extract from which you have published (Zool. 552), 

 gives a general idea of the system I would wish to adopt ; and it is obvious that the 

 completeness of the list must mainly depend upon the amount of assistance rendered 

 by well-wishers from all quarters of the kingdom. I therefore earnestly request the 

 favor of communications as to the local names of birds, from any or every reader of — 

 as well as subscriber to — ' The Zoologist,' and indeed from any person whatever who 

 is able to communicate — though it be not more than — one name. And I should es- 

 teem it an additional favour if my correspondents would, in addition to the common 

 English name of the bird, the synonymes or local names of which they send me, give 

 me also the Latin name and the authority for such Latin name. I need not, of course, 

 refer to the necessity of accuracy, as that must be self-evident to every one. With the 

 cordial co-operation of the many readers of * The Zoologist,' I have no doubt that the 

 most complete system of nomenclature ever published may be produced. The neces- 

 sity for some such system is obvious, and I believe its appearance would be hailed 

 with pleasure by many a lover of Natural History, who finds himself sorely puzzled 

 by the new names applied to old friends in parts of the country distant from his own 

 residence. — I am, Yours &c, /. C. Atkinson ; Hutton, near Berwick-on-Tweed, May 

 4, 1844. 



Notes on the appearance and capture of some of our rarer British 

 Birds in the County of Derby. By J. J. Briggs, Esq. 



(Continued from p. 180).* 



In my former communication on our rarer Derbyshire birds, I men- 

 tioned two individuals of the osprey {Falco haliaetos) as having been 

 killed off Melbourne pool ; but I have lately been informed by Mr. 

 Bowman, Lord Melbourne's keeper, that he has known five shot off 



* It appears that I was in error in making the paper at p. 31 1 a continuation of 

 the prior communication at p. 178. — Ed. 



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