CERTAIN TAXONOMIC CHARACTERS OF GRYLLUS. 7 



species, or there is but one species of Grifllus in eastern United States, 

 and the names we give are not the names of species at all, but simply 

 inaccurate shorthand expressions for recording 1 the approximate si/c, 

 proportions, and color of the individuals found. In the latter case \v<> 

 need more names. It is scarcely conceivable that the species so named 

 are all of them, at least separated by sterility barriers, or that they 

 have any real entity. They are merely convenience species. 



TABLE S.Gothrt, Florida, Jiutc, /no', (short-winged). 



OVIPOSITOR. 



O 

 & 

 H 



H 

 H 

 W 

 O 



OH 



Breeding experiments are in progress to obtain more light on this 

 subject. But whether such experiments demonstrate definitely sep- 

 arated groups in our native* crickets or not, we must necessarily keep 

 these specific names or some substitute for them. I have found this 

 same state of affairs in other genera, and I believe it to be very com- 

 mon. It does no good to call them varieties, as that is merely shifting 

 trouble. Besides, if these are varieties, what species are they varieties 

 of? There are about 200 species in the genus and they all appear to 

 be made in much the way that our American species are. The data 

 concerning the relation between the intraspecific and the interspecific 

 constants (see pp. 13-17) certainly do not combat this idea. It would, 

 obviously, be out of the question to go through, not only this whole 

 genus, but the whole organic world, and compute variation curves in 

 order to determine the status of proposed names. If we did we would 

 find more cases of this sort than is generally suspected. And then 

 what could we do? To be specific, what can we do with these data? 

 There can be no precise criterion of species. "Species" is a human 

 concept as much as "genus," and of the same sort. Where there are 

 sharp breaks in the evolution, such as the presence or absence of some 

 character, or even non-intergrading differences of common characters, 



*They have not, as yet, although I believe from my experimental work that G. 

 domesticus does not interbreed with our native crickets. 



