THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 187 



For the purpose of confining attention to the more radical changes 

 proposed, I will leave for a future time all questions relating to specific 

 names, and consider at present only those affecting genera. 



With the exception of some very unimportant examples, these chiefly 

 turn upon the validity of the genera proposed and defined by Dr. Geoftroy 

 in his Histoirc Abregee des Insectes. 



The first edition of this valuable work, in which, as is justly said by 

 Mr. Crotch, he displayed " a degree of acumen far in advance of his age," 

 bears date on the title page, 1764'% and was printed at Paris. The last 

 edition, with supplements, was printed also in Paris, year of the Republic 



vii, (1799-) 



The binominal nomenclature was first distinctly used in zoology in the 

 loth edition of the Systema Naturce, by Linnaeus, in 1758, and repeated 

 in the 12th edition. 1766-67. 



After the publication of the work last mentioned, Fabricius and 

 others, devoting themselves more exclusively to entomology than Linnaeus 

 had done, divided his genera, and in describing new ones adopted other 

 names for several of those described by Geoffroy. 



The names of these later authors have, until the changes proposed by 

 Mr. Crotch, been adopted without cavil. 



Thus much as to the history of the question. Now as to the 

 argument. 



The most systematic attempt to reduce the laws of nomenclature in 

 zoology to a code, capable of being easily understood and applied, was 

 that of the British Association, acting through a committee, which 

 reported at the meeting held in 1842. 



Without discussing the details of this report, some of which might be 

 and, indeed, were subjected to criticism, it is sufficient to state that the 

 principles therein recommended were adopted by the Association, and 

 without important modification, were reaftirmed by the Association ot 

 American Geologists and Naturalists at the meeting held in 1845. + These 

 laws have been accepted and acted on by nearly all investigators in 

 Natural History ever since. 



Some discussions having taken place which indicated a possibility 

 of improving the code, it was again referred by the British Association to 



* Mr. Crotch states 1762, but I know not on what authority, 

 t Am. Journ., 2nd series, ii, 423— (184C). 



