I apologize if this has been mentioned already, but there is one recently
resurrected genus whose species names are in need of revision on this
point: _Poecile_, the chickadees. Poecile is the Latinized *feminine*
form of poikilos, a Greek word meaning "multicolored" or "piebald".
_Parus_, on the other hand, is masculine.

Thus, if one chooses to recognize the genus _Poecile_, the specific names
need to be feminized; thus _Parus atricapillus_ becomes _Poecile
atricapilla_; _Parus hudsonicus_ becomes _Poecile hudsonica_. Of course,
not every name needs to change: Latin rufescens is the same in the
masculine and feminine [_Parus rufescens_, _Poecile rufescens_]; and the
masculine genitive ending -i in a name like _Poecile gambeli_ refers not
to the bird itself but to the man for which it was named.

I was disappointed to see that even the new version of the Nat'l. Geo.
guide slipped up here.

--Nick Pharris
Olympia, WA
mailto: NJPharris at aol.com

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From: Dan Victor <dcv at scn.org>
Subject: Error Condition Re: Re: "gender" in names
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