Remarks on Zoological Classification. 417 



the families, of which some few only are my own. Since how- 

 ever each family is named from a genus, the reader will un- 

 derstand it as applying to the usual division containing it, 

 limited by the families between which it stands, and without 

 any reference to the dignity claimed for such divisions by na- 

 turalists. I shall hereafter refer to the principal authorities 

 which I have followed. Recognized divisions above families 

 are indicated by a semicolon. 



14. I have followed botanists in introducing a uniform ter- 

 mination, for all the zoological families ; there is a tendency 

 to use the termination in dee, and it is here made general. — 

 Genera ending in a are formed in adee ; in most other cases 

 they are formed in idee, except to avoid a termination in iidce ; 

 and finally the names are formed from the nominative, where 

 an ambiguity might otherwise be thrown on the generic name. 

 I have also, as in botany, adopted the termination in ales for 

 the Alliances, throwing aside entirely all characteristic names. 

 By this very necessary change the memory is unloaded from 

 an incredible number of harsh compounds, perpetually chang- 

 ing, often inaccurate, and often hostile to natural distribution. 

 The use of a generic name for families and alliances, is more- 

 over a direct aid to the memory, and frequently, as has been 

 justly observed, harmonizes with the limits and names of the 

 ancient genera. 



15. A table such as this proposed, cannot safely make any 

 pretension to precision in the details, nor will its value at pre- 

 sent consist in that. It must require for a long period, many 

 corrections as to the limits of families, their place in the al- 

 liance, and the limits of the alliances themselves, and their 

 immediate succession, before the full benefit can be derived 

 from an improved nomenclature, a systematic grouping of fa- 

 milies, and a uniform scheme of complete continuous deve- 

 lopement through all animal organization. 



