Vo1 ' « IV -1 LEACH, Naming Australian Birds 
173 
name was used. Novce-guinea? is possibly the oldest name for 
this characteristically Australian bird which is not found in New 
Guinea, where Sonnerat saw it. Mr. W. B. Alexander suggested 
that the original was probably a caged bird brought from 
Australia. 
Meanwhile Buffon and other non-binomial authors, in works 
on voyages to distant seas, described some Australian birds. 
Gmelin—a noted compiler—in the 13th edition of the Systema 
Naturcc (1788-9), gave these birds approved names; thirty-two 
are now used. Seventeen are for widely spread birds; fifteen for 
birds mostly Australian. Five birds are Australian, two range 
to Norfolk Island, six to New Zealand, and two to the islands 
north-west of Australia. 
The Redwing Parrot and White Goshawk were appropriately 
named. The other three—the Green Rosella (Tasmania), the 
Rainbow (Blue Mountain) Lorikeet (Eastern and South Aus¬ 
tralia and Tasmania), and the Striated Pardalote (Tasmania) 
were described as from New Caledonia, Molucca and “America 
australis” respectively. The variable Rainbow Lorikeet was 
named on page 316 as three separate species: (a) Psittacus 
molucca from Molucca Islands; (b) P. novce-hollandicc, and (c) 
P. multicolor , both from New South Wales. The valid name is 
molucca. A name once given loses its original significance, and 
becomes a mere label; it cannot be changed even by its author 
because of error or inappropriateness, so molucca stands. The 
change from novce-hollandicc to molucca is a good illustration of 
“line priority.” Errors of locality were common with early 
workers, and drawings and descriptions sometimes contained 
points taken from two or more birds, possibly later considered 
distinct species ( e.g., Budyptcs chrysocome , Crested Penguin). 
Badly prepared specimens were often without data, and fre¬ 
quently data of crowded specimens became associated with wrong 
birds. 
The Crimson Rosella, ranging to Norfolk Island, was named 
from New South Wales. The Scarlet Robin, also ranging to 
Norfolk Island (discovered in 1788), was named from Norfolk 
Island in 1789. Gmelin from New Zealand material named five 
birds common to Australia and New Zealand. These are the 
Grey Duck, the Grey Fantail, the Spotted Owl (the smaller 
Boobook), the Shining Cuckoo and the Pied Cormorant (now 
considered a distinct species by Mathews). The sixth bird, 
ranging to New Zealand—the Black-faced Cuckoo-Shrike—was 
named from Tasmanian material. The two birds ranging.to the 
north-west—the Palm Cockatoo and the Nankeen Night Heron 
(named from New Caledonia) are unchanged specifically in the 
Second Edition. 
PREOCCUPIED NAMES. 
Kerr (Animal Kingdom, 1792) showed that Psittacus novce- 
hollandicc (Gmelin, p. 328) for the Cockatiel or Cockatoo-Parrot 
