170 
LEACH, Naming Australian Birds 
r The Emu 
L Jan. 
of them, being authorised to exercise the powers conferred on 
officers by “The Animals and Birds Act of 1921.” It further 
suggests itself that continuous observations with regard to avi¬ 
fauna, their times of visiting the islands, of breeding, etc., might 
also be recorded by these agents. As a result of their observa¬ 
tions of the different colonies of birds, some regulated exploita¬ 
tion of the islands for guano or by the carefully regulated collec¬ 
tion of eggs might be undertaken. To advise them on such 
matters the Great Barrier Reef Committee have fortunately the 
advantage of the presence on their body of Mr. W. B. Alexander, 
but I am sure the Committee will be glad if, in the course of 
this Conference, those members of the Ornithological Union who 
have special interest, not only in the sea-birds, but in others, like 
the Torres Strait (or Nutmeg) Pigeon, that visit or may visit 
the islands for rest and refreshment, would come together to 
make any suggestions that will help the Committee in carrying 
on their work of investigating, among other forms of life on the 
reef, that which is specially the care of the Royal Australasian 
Ornithologists' Union. To the members of that Union assembled 
for their Annual Conference for a third time in Queensland, I 
tender on behalf of the people and the Government of the State, 
and on my own behalf, a hearty welcome.* 
The Naming of Australian Birds 
By J. A. LEACH, D.Sc., Hon. Mem. R.A.O.U., C.M.B.O.U., 
C.F.A.O.U., Melbourne. 
Presidential Address, read at Rockhampton, October, 1924. 
INTRODUCTORY. 
The completion of the Official Checklist of the Birds of Aus¬ 
tralia (Second Edition )f renders desirable some information 
concerning the accepted names and the principles under which 
they were fixed. 
Australian ornithology falls into four periods associated with 
the outstanding namers of Australian birds: John Latham—the 
“Grandfather”—and John Gould—the “Father of Australian 
Ornithology.” The first period is from Linnaeus—the founder 
of binomial nomenclature—to Latham’s Supplement to the Index 
Ornithologicus (1801) ; the second from 1801 to Gould (1837) ; 
the third, from Gould’s Synopsis of Australian Birds (1837) to 
his Supplement of the Birds of Australia (1869) ; and the fourth, 
from 1869 to 1924. 
*A report of the discussion which followed the delivery of this 
address appears on page 183.—Editor. 
t It is expected that the Official Checklist (Second Edition) will be 
published at an early date. 
