222 ornithologist's text-book. 



names are adopted in those works, will be used by 

 amateurs, and finally by the public. It may, how- 

 ever, be argued, that systems are liable to con- 

 stant change, and consequently, that no fixed no- 

 menclature can be established. But I reply, that 

 I do not wish nomenclature to be fixed, but merely 

 that certain given principles should be adhered to : 

 — namely, that each genus should have a distinct 

 English appellation, and that this appellation can 

 be applied to no other genus. That " bird'' can 

 never form any part of the name of a species, as 

 " black-bird", " red-bird", " blue-bird", &c. ; and 

 that a name applied to any genus can belong to 

 no other genus, under any combination, as " Field- 

 Wagtail", " Water- Wren", " Bull -Finch", &c. 

 That no unobjectionable name can ever be altered, 

 priority being of the highest importance in these 

 matters. That a species cannot be named from its 

 abundance or scarcity in any locality, and that it 

 be not named after persons, countries, towns, &c. 



Now nothing would be easier than to carry such 

 principles into effect, as has already been proved, 

 in Nos. XIII and XIV of that admirable scientific 

 Journal, the Analyst. And, moreover, it is suffi- 

 ciently obvious that Selby, Mudie, and other 

 Ornithologists, are aware that these rules should 

 be attended to, but they labour under the ground- 

 less impression, that adhering to such rules will 

 detract from the popularity of their works. It can- 

 not, however, be proved that such has ever been 

 the case. Mudie has made many alterations in the 

 English names of birds, and perhaps few ornitho- 

 logical works have enjoyed more popularity than 

 the Feathered Tribes of that delightful writer. 

 Selby has effected yet greater changes in the same 

 line, and more especially in the water birds, but 

 his work has reached a second edition in a sur- 

 prisingly short space of time, for a systematic 



