Stray Feathers a Journal of Ornithology for India and its Dependencies November 1877

REFORM of the Nomenclature of Zoology was a subject which occupied much of the time of the late Hugh E. Strickland.* It was his object that this reform should be brought forward under the auspices of the British Association and at a meeting of the Council of that body held in London upon 11th Febrary 1842 it was resolved— That with a view of securing attention to the following important subj [...] The best method of making the attempt seems to be to entrust to a carefullselected committee the preparation of a series of rules the adoption of which must be left to the sound sense of naturalists in general. [...] For instance the Faqir rubra of Brisson is the Telrao rufus of Linumus ; therefore as we in this case retain the generic name of Brisson and the specific name of Linnaeus the correct title of the species would be Terdix rufa.] [Generic names not be cancelled in subsequent subdivisions.] As the number of known species which form the ground-. [...] [No special rule is required for the cases in which the later of two generic names is so defined as to be less extensive in sinification than the earlier for if the later includes the type of the earlier genus it would be cancelled by the operation of 4 ; and if it does not include that type it is in fact a distinct genus.] But when the later name is more extensive than the earlier the foll [...] The attention is consequently liable in scientific studies to be diverted from the contemplation of the thing signified to the etymological meaning of the sign and hence it is necessary to provide that the latter shall not be such as to propagate actual error.