C^e diana&ian Entomologist 



VOL. XIX. LONDON, JULY, 1887. No. 7 



ABOUT NAMES. 



BY A. R. GROTE, A. M. , BREMEN, GERMANY. 



I have read, as all of us have, the review of a book by C. J. Maynard, 

 on our Butteriiies, by Mr. W. H. Edwards, and which appeared in the 

 February number of the Canadian Entomologist. Whatever Mr. 

 Edwards writes is trenchant and to the point, so that we have received 

 the impression that Mr. Maynard's book is really not what it ought to be, 

 is not up to current scientific knowledge, and is inferior in its illustrations. 

 There is no more to be said about the book on this head ; its publication 

 will probably do very little real good, except perhaps that here and there 

 a reader into whose hands it may chance to fall may have his interest 

 excited in the subject, and so be led to buy a better one, as, for 

 instance, that of Prof. French, to say nothing of Mr. Edwards's splendid 

 volumes. But I was interested in Mr. Edwards's remarks about the names 

 of butterflies, in which the critic leaves his prey to " regret to say that 

 Mr. Scudder is our greatest sinner in this respect " (p. 39). Mr, 

 Scudder, who never defends himself, might well need a champion as far 

 as I understand the average opinion of students. I am all unworthy to 

 assume such a role, and am not at all called upon to do so, nevertheless 

 as what I have to say is rather in mitigation of his offence, I must be 

 regarded somewhat in that light. And first, we are all sinners, miserable 

 sinners, as the Church puts into our proper confession, but I doubt if it 

 is right for us to apply the word inter nos. There has been quite a 

 shower of adjectives unenlivened by wit, as well as of censure unre- 

 deemed by humor, and often unexcused by candor, in our entomological 

 press, and to this I have, in my humble way, quite strongly objected. 

 We are not authorized by our positions to assume so much, nor is our 

 subject sufficiently important, as the world goes, to warrant the issue of 

 ukases upon entomological topics. The particular offence of Mr. 

 Scudder in the matter of names is that of the English ones. Now Eng- 

 lish names for insects existed before Latin ones, as might indeed be 



