A New Method of Writing Trinomials.
By J. C. Moulton.
In my "Hand-List of the Birds of Borneo" published in this Society's Journal No. 67, 1914 (pp. 125-191) I introduced a slight innovation in the method of writing trinomials.
A trinomial is usually written thus:—
I criticized this method on two grounds:—
As an improvement I therefore wrote:—
shortened to:—
In this way due prominence is given to the specific entity. while the fact that the species is divisible into geographical races of relatively less importance is shewn by placing the subspecific name in less prominent type. The insertion of the author's name after the species obviates ambiguity, and is only a reasonable recognition of that author's work. At the same time it serves to mark off the subspecific name as a form apart.
It might be argued of course with justice that the name of the author of the genus should also be inserted. But the long- established custom of running generic and specific names together is sufficiently important to over-ride any such further innovation.
I referred the point to the British Association Committee on Zoological Bibliography and Publication, whose opinion thereon was published in the Committee's Report to the Association (Section D) at the Edinburgh meeting in 1921 as follows:—
"The Committee agrees that the alterations introduced by Mr. Moulton tend to increased clearness. If it be ever necessary to give the name of the author of the species, it is no less necessary when the form referred to is one of the subspecies into which the species has been divided, and Mr. Moulton's method of introducing it seems unexceptionable.
