VOL. XI, PP. 173-174 JUNE 9, 1897 



PROCEEDINGS 



OF THE 



BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



NOTES ON THE NOMENCLATURE OF FOUR GENERA 

 OF TROPICAL AMERICAN MAMMALS. 



BY T. S. PALMER. 



It is generally admitted that stability in nomenclature can 

 only be attained by adhering strictly to the law of priority and 

 adopting the earliest available name for each genus and species. 

 Some of the early writers used native names as generic designa 

 tions of mammals and birds, but such terms were rejected almost 

 without exception by certain zoologists, who maintained that 

 only scientific names of classical origin should be used. Illiger, 

 and to a less extent Cuvier, were leaders in the reform against 

 ' barbarous ' names, and in carrying out their views did not hesi 

 tate to replace earlier names by others which they deemed more 

 appropriate. As their classification of mammals and birds was 

 very generally adopted, their nomenclature was accepted with 

 out question. At present, however, derivation is considered of 

 much less importance than priority, and one recent writer, Liais, 

 has even gone so far as to maintain that in the case of South 

 American species scientific names derived from Indian names 

 are preferable to any others. It must be admitted that no valid 

 objections can be urged against barbarous names when such 

 genera as Alactaga, Avahi, Babirussa, Coendou, Indri, Linsanga, 

 and many others receive general recognition. 



Some of Cuvier's and Illiger 's genera have already been aban 

 doned in favor of earlier ones, but there are still several others, 

 as Tatusia, Dicotyles, Cercoleptes,?Md Ghrysothrix*vj\\\c\\ are unfor 

 tunately antedated by valid names. The nine-banded arma 

 dillo was placed in a distinct group, Tatusie, by Cuvier in 1822, 



40 BIOL. Soc. WASH., VOL. XI, 1897 (173) 



