VOL. XIV, PP. 181-182 DECEMBER 12, 1901 



PROCEEDINGS 



OF THE 



BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



THE PROPER GENERIC NAMES OF THE VISCACHA, 

 CHINCHILLAS, AND THEIR ALLIES. 



BY J. A. ALLEN. 



In a recent paper entitled, 'The Name of the Viscacha',* Mr. 

 Oldfield Thomas leaves in doubt the proper allocation of the 

 genus Callomys D'Orbigny and Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire. As 

 the application of the generic names given to the different 

 species of the Chinchillidse is involved in some obscurity, a 

 brief history of the case may serve to throw a little light on 

 some of the intricate points. 



The first distinctive generic name applied to any member of 

 the group appears to be Viscaccia Schinz, given in 1825 to the 

 Viscacha of the pampas of the La Plata. The next in order is 

 the name Lagostomus, given by Brooks in 1828 to the same 

 animal, which name thus becomes a synonym of Viscaccia 

 Schinz. In 1829 Bennett used the name Chinchilla in a generic 

 sense for the Chinchillas of the Chilian Andes. In 1830 Lich- 

 tenstein gave the name Oriomys also to the same animals. The 

 other of the three generic groups of this family was named 

 Lagidium by Meyen in March, 1833, and Lagotis by Bennett 

 a few months later in the same year. Regarding the appli 

 cation of these names there is, apparently, no question. The 



*Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. XIV, p. 25, April 2, 1901. 



37-BiOL. Soc. WASH. VOL. XIV, 1901. (181) 



