THE CLASSIFICATION OF INSECTS 69 



printed in italics for its easy recognition. Scientific names are a 

 necessity, because the common name of an insect in one commu- 

 nity may often be applied to an entirely different species in some 

 other section, or different common names may be applied to the 

 same insect ; and they are written in Latin because that is under- 

 stood by scientists in all countries, and is common to them all, 

 which is true of no other language. The ladybird beetle in ques- 

 tion may have been of the species novcmnotata, meaning nine- 

 spotted, and of the genus Coccinclla, which is the typical genus of 

 the family. This name is written Coccinclla novemnotata Herbst. 







The name of the genus is always placed first and commenced with 

 a capital letter, the name of the species following and commencing 

 with a small letter. Botanists often commence the specific name 

 with a capital letter if it is named for some person or country, but 

 zoologists commence all specific names with small letters to dis- 

 tinguish them readily from the generic names. After the scientific 

 name proper is often placed the name, or an abbreviation of the 

 name, of the author who originally described the species (as Herbst, 

 in the above), for not infrequently different authors will use the 

 same name for different species, which often results in endless 

 confusion when the name of the author who has described each 

 species under the name is not given. Thus the generic and specific 

 names of a plant or animal are analogous to the Christian name 

 and surname of a man, except that in the case of the latter the 

 name applies to an individual, while in the former it applies to a 

 large number of individuals. The scientific name also has a some- 

 what analogous significance and use. Thus, if we speak of Patrick 

 O'Connor or Napoleon Bonaparte, we at once think of the individ- 

 uals known to us by those names. But the name also tells us that 

 Patrick is of the O'Connor family, with their general characteris- 

 tics, and we know the O'Connors to be from the Emerald Isle, 

 which we know to be inhabited by people of the Caucasian race, 

 and, similarly, we know the Bonapartes to be Corsican. In the same 

 way the specific name of a plant or animal signifies its relationship 

 to those acquainted with the different sorts. Thus the specific 

 name novemnotata (or g-notatd) at once signifies that this particular 

 species of beetle has nine spots and is a separate species from bi- 

 pnnctata, which has but two spots, while the generic name indicates 



