26 



HARD WICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



here, there must always be a certain amount of lati- 

 tude allowed, if we retain the English method of 

 pronouncing Latin. We may say Fewschia or , 

 Jeranium to an Englishman, but who would do so to ' 

 a German ? 



I cannot see, then, that the pronunciation of many 

 of the names can at present be reduced to strict rules, 

 which any one would feel bound by ; scirpus is pro- 

 nounced sirpus, according to the old style ; skirpus 

 according to the new, &c. ; but in the case of 

 quantities, I think absolute uniformity might be 

 arrived at, which is not the case at present. If I were 

 to ask, what are the correct accentuations of Conium, 

 Cyperus, Populus, for instance, I should not expect 

 to receive uniform replies. 



As to the euphony of the names, those who have 

 to apply them are responsible, and they are supposed 

 to have sufficient knowledge of plants, and the 

 system of nomenclature, to give correct names : much 

 of what remains depends upon taste. " It is certain 

 no one ought to name a plant, if he is not a botanist ; 

 nor is any one at liberty to impose a generic name 

 who does not understand genera ; on the other hand, 

 we have no doubt that any one who knows that a 

 plant is perfectly distinct generically from all others, 

 also knows how to apply a distinct name " (Linn. 

 "Crit. Bot.," § 218). It is true that names are not 

 always everything that might be desired, nor have 

 they always been correct ; but if correct, they should 

 not afterwards be altered. Euphony does not en- 

 tirely depend upon the taste of the plant-namer, for 

 often he has little choice. Thus, as Jacquin wished 

 to do honour to Patrick Browne, and named Brownea 

 after him ; Smith, when he wished to honour Robert 

 Brown in the same way, had to invent a fresh form, 

 and therefore named his genus Brunonia ; Linne 

 having already used Brunia in honour of Lebrun. 



Mr. Newlyn is scarcely correct in saying that 

 Brownea and Brunonia are "etymologically identi- 

 cal," for, not only are they derived from the names of 

 different people, but also, in the first case, the name 

 was spelt Browne and in the second Brown. Hence 

 Brownea — Theis has it Brownaea — notBrowma, which 

 it would have been but for the final e. It is well 

 these minutice should be noticed, else "both the 

 complimentary importance and the etymological form 

 might be sacrificed." 



I have not hitherto felt inclined to take any part in 

 this controversy, because, if common usage be taken 

 into account, no decisive answers can be given to the 

 questions asked. Thus "E. C." (No. 151, p. i64)argues 

 that the ch in Lachenalia should have the sound sh, 

 because it was "named after M. de la Chenal." 

 De Theis says it was named after Werner Lachenal, 

 professor of botany at Bale. Whether he was a pure 

 Frenchman, or a pure German, or a German of 

 French extraction, I do not know ; but if he were the 

 latter, as his Christian name, and changed surname, 

 would seem to indicate, there is still no certainty how 



he pronounced his own name, for the Germans them- 

 selves do not pronounce ch in a uniform manner ; 

 some would pronounce it k, some ch, as in the Scotch 

 loch, some sh ; and there are also intermediate sounds 

 between these to be met with. According then to 

 "E. C.'s" idea, he may call Lachenalia what he chooses 

 without being incorrect ; but certainly Mr. Boulger's 

 view that it should be pronounced as though it were 

 spelt with a h, because it is a Latin word, seems 

 more reasonable. We cannot follow the pronuncia- 

 tion of all languages in commemorative names, but 

 must take them as Latin, and pronounce them 

 accordingly. Magnol pronounced in French, does 

 not correspond with Mag-no-lia pronounced in Latin. 

 I repeat, in conclusion, my opinion that when we 

 have a uniform pronunciation of Latin, we may have 

 a uniform pronunciation of botanical names, but not 

 until then. In the mean time, as Mr. Newlyn says, 

 "the pronunciation of botanical names is but of 

 secondary importance," and I have taken my pen up 

 now, only because Mr. Newlyn has misunderstood 

 what I have previously published on this subject, 

 and, unintentionally no doubt, misrepresented my 

 meaning. This is the general teaching of my book, 

 with regard to the pronunciation of the letter g, in 

 botanical names. In names direct from the Greek, 

 it should be pronounced hard; e.g., Geophlia, 

 Georchis, Geropogon. But if the student always 

 hears the g, in such words as Genista, Gentiana, 

 Geranium, in the British Flora pronounced soft, let 

 him pronounce it soft, though Geranium is a Greek 

 name of Dioscorides ; or, if he sees, judging by 

 analogy, that according to English usage, such names 

 as Gerardia, Geoffroya, Gilia, would be pronounced 

 soft ; let him follow that usage. I would add, that 

 if he should be in doubt about such names as 

 Gireondia, Gesnera, Genipa, Giukgo, let him pro- 

 nounce the g hard. I hope it may be pronounced so 

 before long in every case. 



THE SEALS AND WHALES OF THE 

 BRITISH SEAS. 



By Thomas Southwell, F.Z.S., &c. 



The Sterm Whale {continued). 



No. VII. 



THE pursuit of the Sperm Whale is attended with 

 much greater clanger than that of the Greenland 

 Whale, and Beale gives many instances in which, in 

 his own experience, boats were stove in and men lost ; 

 stories of fighting whales, he says, are numerous, and 

 probably much exaggerated ; one, known as " Timor 

 Jack," is said to have destroyed every boat sent 

 against him, till at last he was killed by being 

 attacked from several directions at the same time, 

 thus diverting his attention from the boat which made 

 the successful attack. Another fish, known as " New 

 Zealand Tom," destroyed nine boats successively 



