S Mr. J. O. Westvvood on the Chakididce. 



perfectly artificial; namely, that by such means an insect may be readily 

 recognized amongst its fellows, " Demtis nominibus rite determinatis 

 aliis ideas nostras nuUo modo communicare valemus,"* and the aim of 

 the Entomologist is fully accomplished if he is enabled thereby to make 

 himself understood when mentioning or describing any particular insect; 

 consequently a slight degree of importance is all that is requisite to be 

 attached to the names themselves. It has however been said, that if an 

 insect receive a name which is afterwards discovered to be incorrect, such 

 name ought to be rejected, and that employed by the next author who 

 described the insect adopted in its stead. For instance, if the oldest spe- 

 cific name be derived from a character which is afterwards discovered to 

 be a generic one, (Ex. Leistus spinibarbis, Loricera pilicornis,) or if a 

 comparative name be employed, and the comparison is afterwards de- 

 stroyed, (Ex. Hister maximus, Bombylius major, B. medius, B. minor,) or 

 again, if such name be derived from a sexual character, (Ex. Eucera lon- 

 gicomis, Eulophus ramicornis, Eul. damicomis,) or lastly, if a name be 

 employed indicative of the habitation or place of capture of an insect, and 

 it is afterwards discovered that the supposed habitation was merely acci- 

 dental, or in fact erroneous, (Ex. Curculio AUiarise and C. Lapathi, 

 noticed by Kirby and Spence, Vol. I. p. 196,) or it is discovered that the 

 insect is not confined to the supposed locaHty, (Ex. Agonum Austriacum, 

 Raphidia Londinensis,) I think, for the reasons above mentioned, that in 

 each of these cases it is going too far to contend that such name ought to 

 be rejected, ** Toleranda tamen sunt," says Fabricius, " quamvis baud 

 iraitanda;"t for if the propriety of every specific name were to be thus 

 rigidly examined, we should find but few which would survive the 

 test. J In one of the cases mentioned Messrs. Kirby and Spence are of a 



* Fab.,ib. p. 101. 



t Id. ibid. p. 118. 



J Here may be noticed the useless curtailment of the Linnaean names of the 

 Tineas, which has latterly been adopted by some of our Entomologists. I would 

 ask what advantage is gained thereby ; for would not " Anacampsis cinerea or 

 Juniperi,'' as written by Mr, Curtis, (British Entomology, No. 189,) be more 

 satisfactorily known by the old established Linnaean names " cinerella or Juni- 

 perelia V* " Nomina trivialia nunquam absque summa urgenti necessitate mu- 

 tanda sunt." Fab., ib. p. 121, 



