196 Getieral Notes. 



Note on the generic name of the horseshoe crab. 



Mr. Pocock in his article ''The Taxonomy of Recent Species of 

 Limulus" (Ann. Mag. Nat Hist. 7th ser., IX, p. 257, 1902), considers that 

 the validity of the generic name Xiphosura rests solely on the Gronovian 

 foundation. On the contrary, before 1785, the date of Mailer's Limulus, 

 Xipho8ura was adopted by at least three binomial writers, viz: by Brun- 

 nich (Zoologiae Fimdamenta, p. 208, 1772), Scopoli (Introd. Hist. Nat., 

 p. 405, 1777) and Meuschen (Mus. Gronov., p. 83, lllS).Mary J. Rathbun. 



A further note on the name of the Argentine Viscacha. 



As has been fully shown,* there is no doubt of the pertinence of the 

 generic name Viscaccia Schinz, 1825, to "la Vizcache," of Azara, the 

 Argentine Viscacha. But it turns out that Oken (Lehrb. d. Naturg., 

 Theil III, Abth. 2, p. 835, 1826) used the same' term in 1816, in nearly the 

 same sense. Oken included in his group or subgenus Viscaccia only two 

 species: (1) Lepus chilensis and (2) Mus laniger. The first, notwith 

 standing the name chilensis, is based, as far as the description is con 

 cerned, wholly on "la Vizcache" of Azara, while in his diagnosis of the 

 group Viscaccia he says "Zehen vorn 4, hinten 3," which would exclude 

 his second species, the Mus laniger of Molina, and hence the Chinchilla 

 of Peru. As Bennett in 1829, made the Chinchilla the type of his genus 

 Chinchilla, the Argentine Vischacha also becomes by restriction the type 

 and only species of Oken's Viscaccia, the authority for which name is 

 thus Oken (1816) instead of Schinz (1825). 



It also unfortunately happens that Oken's name cliilensis has one year's 

 priority over maximus of Desmarestf (Dipus maximus Desm. ex Blainville 

 M. S.). Hence, apparently, the Argentine Viscacha must be called 

 Viscaccia chilensis (Oken). From his account of the animal, he appears 

 to have believed, as did Azara, that it was found in Peru, and also in 

 Chili, as shown by his reference to the use made of its fur in those 

 countries. He gives its distribution correctly, however, as follows: "In 

 Paraguay ist es nur westlich des Flusses Uruguay, vom 30 B. gegen 

 Siiden, siidiich von Buenos Ayres sehr gemein." 



Oken was almost erratic and irregular in nomenclatorial matters, viewed 

 from the standpoint of present day usuages, as was Zimmermann in his 

 "Specimen Zoologiae Geographicae" 1777. His use of the generic names 

 Lepus and Mus for the species he placed under Viscaccia will not sur 

 prise systematists who are familiar with the character of Oken's "Lehr- 

 buch, ' ' although the name Lepus chilensis is apparently Oken's own name. 

 It appears to have heretofore escaped citation. J. A. Allen. 



*Cf. Palmer, Science, N. S., VI, p. 21, July 2, 1897; Thomas, Proc. 

 Biol. Soc. Wash., XIV, p. 25, April 2, 1901; Allen, ibid., p. 181, Dec. 2, 

 1901. 



fNouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat., XIII, p. 117, 1817. 



