n6 Official Checklist of the Birds of Australia. 
APPENDIX. 
THE SCIENTIFIC NAMES OF AUSTRALIAN 
BIRDS 
(WITH NOTES, VOCABULARIES, AND PRONUNCIATION 
OF THE ACCEPTED NAMES). 
By H. Wolstenholme, B.A., M.B.O U., Ii.A.O.U., Wahroonga, Sydney. 
A.—INTRODUCTORY. 
Under the binomial system of scientific nomenclature as originated by the 
Swedish naturalist, Linne or Linn ecus, about the middle of the eighteenth 
century, two single words are used, one for the genus and the other for the species 
of the bird. At first a Latin word or a phrase was used, and many simple Latin 
generic names of Linnaeus are in this list, e.g., IJinmdo (Swallow) and Cuculu* 
(Cuckoo). Later it became the practice to utilize the Greek language, particu¬ 
larly for names of genera. The pure Greek word, however, was rarely used 
as the Latin word had been. The main part or root of the Greek word was 
kept, and a Latin substantival ending was added to it. The great body of the 
generic names are formed in this way. The specific names are mostly in the 
form of Latin adjectives, some of them adapted from Greek words. Judged by 
their terminations most of the names are Latin words—a noun followed by 
an adjective. 
The generic names are an interesting set of words, and, on examination, may be 
arranged into a few distinct classes :— 
1. Pure Latin words. These are the names of old genera used by Linmeus— 
mostly classical words, e.g., Corvus, crow; Anas, duck; Fulica, 
coot. 
2. New Latin words, a Latinized form of words of other languages, e.g., 
Puffinus (English, pullin); Fregata (French, frigate); Nyroca (Russian, 
nyrok ); Baza (Hindustani, baz). Others are mentioned in tlio notes 
below and in the vocabularies. 
3. Greek words or a compound of two Greek words, with a Latin substantival 
(masculine or feminine) termination. The great bulk of the generic 
names are included in this class. They usually indicate in their 
meaning something characteristic of the genus : e.g., Trichoglossus 
(hair, tongue) ; Eopsallria (dawn, singer); Pachycephala (thick, head). 
4. Some proper names—names of scientists—Latinized : e.g., Lathamus , 
Garrodia, Grantiella , and a few names from mythology and classical 
literature, o.g., Pandion , Antigone, and Lalage. 
5. The remaining names are from a variety of sources ; some seem strange 
for birds’ names, some are obscure in origin. 
The specific names are less interesting than the generio. They are more 
oommonplacc in character, are in form usually a Latin adjective or a Greek root 
with a Latin adjectival termination, and there is a similarity among them that 
amounts sometimes to monotony: — chrysoplera , chalcoptera, leucoptera, &c., and 
leuconotus , Icucogastcr , leucocephala, &c. They refer, as a rule, to the size or colour 
of some outer part of the species. One has but to learn the Greek and Latin words 
for the exterior parts of a bird and for colours and sizes, and he will know the 
meanings of most of the specific namos. The remainder are nearly all formed 
from proper names, either personal or geographical. The endings ce and i are, 
as is well known, the genitive case endings of Latin substantives of the first and 
second declensions respectively. 
It has to be pointed out that Bomo of the names have not been spelt correctly, 
and some have been found to be erroneous in other ways. But no corrections can 
bo made. The rules of scientific nomenclature do not allow alterations of any 
