ANNALS MEDEDELINGEN 
OF THE VAN HEX 
TRANSVAAL MUSEUM 
VoL. 8 Part 4 
REVIEW OF THE NOMENCLATURE 
OF SOUTH AFRICAN BIRDS 
By AUSTIN ROBERTS 
INTRODUCTION 
During the present century so many changes have been effected in the 
nomenclature of African birds that the majority of ornithologists can 
hardly find their way through the maze. It seems desirable, therefore, that 
these changes should be collated, and in doing so I have found so great 
a need for effecting further changes, that are bound to become necessary 
in the course of time, that I make no apology for what must appear to 
many as a terrible upheaval. To anyone who has followed the trend of 
ornithological work during the last few years, I have no doubt that the 
expression of my views will specially appeal, and perhaps be productive 
of further research upon the same lines in reference to the rest of the avi- 
fauna of this continent. The method followed hereafter is not a new one 
and the changes are not so great as they may appear at first sight, but they 
have the advantage of bringing the classification of our birds into line with 
that of other countries, such as North America and Australia, where the 
nomenclature is adapted to facts and not prejudiced by side issues. Before 
entering into the review itself, a short discussion becomes necessary in order 
to clear the way. 
The most recent work devoted exclusively to this region is that of the 
late Dr A. C. Stark, which was completed after his death by Mr W. L. 
Sclater. It was arranged according to the Catalogue of Birds in the British 
Museum, which followed the Stricklandian Code, and was completed before 
the British ornithologists had decided to take the loth instead of the 12th 
editions of Linne’s Systema Naturae as the starting point of our system of 
nomenclature. About the same time as this work on South African birds 
was appearing, Reichenow published his monumental work on the birds 
of Africa (Die Vogel Afrikas), in which he followed the generally accepted 
rules to start from the loth edition of Linne’s work, strict adherence to 
