24 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



is a pity that some of them seem to be beyond remedy, some which, by 

 reason of the combination, have a ludicrous meaning, as Sesia Schmidtii- 

 formis ; some are beyond change, because the specific word has no 

 feminine form, as Eudaimonia Jehovah. The former combination is 

 allowable, for. the Latin will pass muster; and perhaps the honored Mr. 

 Schmidt is such an attenuated example of that well-known group of the 

 genus homo, that the meaning is after all applicable. But the latter com- 

 bination cannot be defended. " This is a free country," and each one 

 can follow out his own ideas of what is reverential and fitting, but our 

 freedom gives no right to murder either language or sense. Just translate 

 the binomial, Eudaimonia Jehovah, the beautiful female demon Jehovah; 

 I suppose demon is right enough, for the insect has long tails, and as 

 Spenser s would put it, "fearfulle horns," but take it altogether, there 

 seems to be, to put it very mildly, some incongruity. We hope Mr. 

 Strecker, who has been our very kind and generous friend, will not leave 

 that name as a monument for future scholars to gaze upon and wonder 

 at. And we wish cataloguists would be bold enough to put such, and all 

 monstrosities, into some proper shape, for the sake of those who read and 

 for the sake of the authors. We would like the future to have kindly 

 feelings towards all of us who will then be the past. 



2nd. " Specific terminations must be made to conform to terminations 

 universally received, and subserving a useful purpose." This, of course, 

 if construction and sense will allow. The Tineina, Tortricina, Pyralidina 

 and Geometrae have each, as a rule, certain specific terminations. Mr. 

 Packard has done the science a good turn in his " Geometrid Moths," by 

 giving the proper-terminations to all specific names. But grammar and 

 sense are the highest law, and so there may be redemption even for Mr. 

 Schmidt from his sad fate. 



We are aware much can be said against these laws, which we do not 

 pretend are laws as uttered by competent authority. There are two 

 arguments to defend their disobedience : (a) the. following of them will 

 make now, and for all time to come, endless confusion ; and (b) the 

 specific name is not an adjective, but a term to express the individual — as 

 we say among men, its Christian name. It is as proper to say Mary 

 Thomas as to say John Thomas. It is as proper to say Argynnis mon- 

 tinus as to say Argynnis vwntina. It is the Argynnis whose given name 

 is montinus. To the argument "a " we say, then we ought to give up the 

 pretence of writing scientific names in Latin. There is no possible con- 



