Recently published Ornithological Works. 747 
turned all the trinomial names into binomials. Dr. Hartert, 
on the other hand, is strongly in favour of trinomials, and 
employs them, as we are disposed to think, rather too freely. 
Of the 1240 forms comprised in the first volume of his 
f Palsearctie Birds/ by far the greater number have a third 
name. In fact, he often degrades to the rank of “ sub¬ 
species ” many easily distinguishable forms which other 
writers have treated as full species. 
Another point on which we cannot at all agree with 
Dr. Hartert is the duplication of the specific name in the 
case of such subspecies as are the typical forms of the 
species. It would be much simpler and more elegant, we 
think, to designate the typical form by the addition of the 
word “ typicus ” to the generic and specific names. Thus 
we should write “ Corvus corax typicus ” not i( Corvus corax 
corax" When, as is the case with those who use “ touto- 
nyms” ( i . e., the same name for the genus and species), the 
one name is repeated three times over (e. g.. Pica pica pica , 
Coccothraustes coccothraustes coccothraustes) , the effect is 
almost ludicrous ! 
A third point in nomenclature upon which we cannot 
follow Dr. Hartert is his alteration of many of our most 
familiar scientific names on what we should be inclined to 
consider insufficient evidence. For example, the Grey Fly¬ 
catcher is called Muscicapa striata instead of Muscicapa 
grisola, the genus “Accentor” is changed to “Prunella " 
and Turdus musicus is dethroned in favour of Turdus 
philomelus ! It would be easy to shew in these and other 
similar cases that such changes might have been avoided by 
a little judicious management. And consider the number 
of text-books and books of reference that have employed 
these rejected terms for the last hundred years, and are 
now required to change them on grounds that are appre¬ 
ciable only to the few students of zoological nomenclature. 
The subspecies provided with new names in the sixth 
part of vol. i. of this work are :—■ 
3 D 
SER. IX.-VOL. IV. 
