Birds of Celebes: Falconidae. 
53 
we are, therefore, compelled to attach the vernacular term “the typical”, to the 
scientific name of the species, instead of adding a classical trinomial). 
Haliastur indus arouses another question in nomenclature. If subspecies 
be distinguished by a trinomial, under what form of nomenclature are the forms 
which interconnect them to be spoken of? In the present case, if the two 
extreme races only of H. indus are treated of as subspecies, the main body of 
the species is made up of intermediate forms. Specimens from Java, which 
stand in characters about midway between those of India and New Guinea, have 
been named intermedins by Gurney; and those of Celebes which are again 
intermediate between the latter and those of New Guinea were named H. indus 
var. ambiguiis by the late Dr. Briiggemann, but the last named, like those 
intermediate between intermedins and the typical indus, cannot be regarded 
as more than subsubspecies; and if such a subdivision ever come into use 
four names must be employed for it. In such a case it is certainly much easier 
to remember the facts than the names which are intended to call them to 
mind, and the nomenclature employed would defeat its own purpose. There- 
fore we prefer to give no long names, but to designate the forms intermediate be- 
tween the typical H. indus and H. indus — girrenera in the following manner: 
Haliastur indus — girrenera, with the remark that a long hyphen connecting 
the names of two subspecies serves to designate the intermediate forms which 
connect them^). It does not appear to be advisable to recognise H. indus 
intermedins as a third subspecies, since this is not aberrant, but distinctly inter- 
mediate between the two extremes of variation in H. indus. 
Perhaps in future — when the want becomes sufficiently pressing to neces- 
sitate the step — a somewhat considerable change in the nomenclature of the 
present day may be etfected as follows : species as at present defined will remain 
under their original binomials; subspecies under trinomials; but the degree of 
relationship between the interconnecting forms to these subspecies will be dis- 
played by the use of numbers — somewhat after the manner of chemical 
formulae. Thus, in the case of Haliastur indus — taking four degrees of rela- 
tionship into consideration — the typical subspecies will be Haliastur indus 
ty ficus, that of New Guinea H. indus girrenera\ that of Celebes, which may be 
supposed to have three times as strong a connection with girrenera as with typicus, 
will be represented as H. indus ^ girrenera^’, that of Java being just about 
midway in characters as H. indus 2 girrenera 2\ that of Malacca as H indus 3 
girrenera^. This method could be carried to any degree of refinement, and 
Since this article was written, Dr. Jordan and Mr. Hartert have published some very similar 
remarks in the “Novitates Zoologicae” and in “The Ibis”, hlr. Hartert, however, did not hesitate 
to append the classical trinomial typicus to the typical form, but he has since decided that a doubling of 
the specific name (e. g. Acredula caudata caudata) is better (Zool. Anzeiger 1897 XX, 41 — 47). It must be left 
to a general agreement, which mode of expression be adopted, the one being nearly as good or bad as the other. 
2) We are not so sanguine as to believe, that our brother ornithologists will adopt our innovation of 
nomenclature, but we trust that future “rules of nomenclature” will also take into consideration cases like 
this, and make some proposition which can be generally adopted. 
