INTRODUCTION. 7 



proper place in this Report ; and then to build upon such a 

 foundation with those additional recommendations and sugges- 

 tions which in the judgment of the Committee are required to 

 meet the demands of the present state of zoological science, 

 and which seem most timely in view of its evident tendency, 

 and probable progress in the future. 



As is well known, Alphonse De Candolle provided botanists 

 with a code of nomenclatural rules for the Vegetable King- 

 dom, the admirably sound character of which code caused it 

 to receive the unanimous indorsement of the International 

 Botanical Congress held in Paris in 1867. These rules are 

 almost equally applicable to Zoology, the nomenclatural re- 

 quirements of the Animal and Vegetable Kingdoms being 

 nearly identical ; and in general tenor and spirit they are much 

 the same as those of the Stricklandian Code. In 1876, an 

 American zoologist, Mr. W. H. Dall, was appointed by Sec- 

 tion B of the American Association for the Advancement of 

 Science a committee of one, " to obtain an expression of opin- 

 ion from the working naturalists of America, in regard to the 

 nature of a set of rules for facilitating the decision of questions 

 relating to nomenclature." In pursuance of this duty, Mr. 

 Dall prepared a circular upon the subject, consisting of a series 

 of questions relating to disputed points, which was widely 

 distributed among the publishing naturalists of America, from 

 whom a gratifyingly large number of responses were received. 

 To Mr. Ball's report, as published, 1 embodying the purport of 

 all their replies, was added an Appendix, consisting " of a resume 

 of all the principles and rules of nomenclature as hitherto set 

 forth by the chief author' ties on that subject, with the diverse 

 views of different authors concerning each proposition appended 

 to it and authenticated by their initials," the reporter further 

 adding many comments of his own. These principles and 

 rules were compiled equally in the interest of Zoology and of 



1 Nomenclature | in | Zoology and Botany. | A Report to the American Associa- 

 tion for the Advancement of | Science at the Nashville Meeting, August 31, 1877. | 

 | By | W. H. Dall, | United States Coast Survey. | | Salem: | Printed at the 

 Salem Press. | December, 1877. Svo, paper cover, title, and pp. 7-56. 



