Page:A list of the birds of Australia 1913.djvu/12

 Latham's species, the majority must be quoted as synonyms only. Previously he had published a little work entitled Analyse nouvelle Ornithologie, and therein diagnosed very many new generic forms. About fifteen of the best-known Australian genera date from this effort, such as Pitta Melithreptus, Pardalotus, Falcunculus, etc. The importance of Viellot's work is now being recognized though for a long time his names were ignored in favour of those of Temminck, Gould, etc., of later date. About 1820 Temminck monographed the Pigeons, and Australian species were given names: while about the same time Kuhl monographed the Parrots, working in England with Temminck who simultaneously described some Australian Parrots.

In 1827 Vigors and Horsfield made a prolonged study of the birds in the collection of the Linnean Society, and to their Transactions contributed a lengthy paper regarding the Australian birds contained therein. This is the most thorough and scientific paper yet published, and to ignore it in favour of Gould's work would savour of the most extreme prejudice. The careful and accurate descriptions of the new species, together with the detailed diagnoses of the many newly-proposed genera, marks this as of as much importance to the Australian student as was Latham's previous account. Vigors and Horsfield had the pleasure of working with Latham, and the two papers form the basis of all later study.

In this connexion it is interesting to note that just previously Vigors had made the following statement (Trans. Linn. Soc. (Lond.), Vol. XLV., p. 436, 1825): "I adopt the more ancient term, according to the suggestion of Mr. Swainson in his valuable observations on this family (Zool. Journ., Vol. I., p. 303) ADHERING TO THE INFLEXIBLE LAW OF PRIORITY."

In 1837-1838 Gould published his Synopsis of the Birds of Australia, and this marks his first incursion into Australian Ornithology. In this he described as new almost every Australian bird he handled, being either ignorant of or overlooking Latham's work. After this effort he left Great Britain for Australia, where he made large collections throughout the Commonwealth. Upon his return he published the Birds of Australia, a magnificent work in folio with beautiful coloured figures. This appeared between 1840-1848, and almost immediately he continued with a Supplement, running from 1850-1859. In these monumental volumes he