THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
This note determined the reconsideration of the status of the name 
Probosciger, the rejection of which name having long been unsatisfactory in 
my mind. I had been dubious about my decision, as I found that in most 
other branches of science sectional names were, and had been for many 
years, treated as on the same level as subgeneric names. Even in Ornithology, 
racial and sectional names had otherwise been recognised, so that I could 
see no reason for the present exception. I therefore now make use of Kuhl’s 
name and give particulars of its introduction. 
In his Conspectus Psittacorum Kuhl only recognised one genus Psittacus , 
but this he divided into six sections ; as no subgenera are noted, it must be 
accepted that these sections are absolutely the equivalent of our subgenera. 
If the constituents of the sections be examined, we must recognise the 
advance upon any previous division of Parrots, as apparently working upon Le 
Vaillant’s work on this group Kuhl certainly made improvements. His sections 
were named Ara, Conurus, Psittacula, Psittacus, Kakadoe and Probosciger. 
Only two species were included in the last named, aierrimus Gm. L. and 
goliath nov. These are now recognised as onfy sub specifically distinct, so 
that the section was monotypic. 
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