A New Method of Writing Trinomials. 
By. C2 Mou nmon:. 
In my “ Hand-List of the Birds of Borneo ” published in this 
Society’s Journal No. 67, 1914 (pp. 125-191) I introduced a slight 
innovation in the method of writing trinomials. 
A trinomial is usually written thus :— 
Chloropsis viridis viriditectus Hartert. 
I criticized this method on two grounds :— 
(1) that the relatively greater importance a the 
specific name is not emphasised, or, to put it another way, 
that the sub-specific name is given undue prominence 
equal to, if not greater than, the specific name. 
(11) that the name of the author of the species is 
omitted, while that of the author of the less important 
subspecies is retained. 
As an improvement I therefore wrote :— 
CuLoropsis viripis Horsfield viriditectus Hartert 
shortened to :— 
CuLoropsis virtpis Horsf. viriditectus Hart. 
In this wav due prominence is given to the specific entity, 
while the fact that the species is divisible into geographical races 
of relatively less importance is shewn by placing the subspecific 
name in less prominent type. The inser tion of the auther’s name 
after the species obviates ambiguity, and is only a reasonable 
recognition of that author’s work. At the same time it serves 
to mark off the subspecific name as a form apart. 
It might be argued of course with justice that the name of 
the author of the genus should also be inserted. But the long- 
established custom of running generic and specific names together 
is sufficiently important to over-ride any such further innovation. 
I referred the point to the British Association Committee on 
Zoological Bibliography and Publication, whose opinion thereon 
was published in the Coimmittee’s Report to the Association 
(Section D) at the Edinburgh meeting in 1921 as follows:— 
“The Committee agrees that the alterations introduced 
by Mr. Moulton tend to increased clearness. If it be ever 
necessary to give the name of the author of the species, it is 
no less necessary when the form referred to is one of the 
subspecies into which the species has been divided, and Mr. 
Moulton’s method of introducing it seems unexceptionable. 
Jour. Straits Branch 
