72 f'lihncr — iVo/cx on tjir Gnura of Edcntafrs. 



consideration — the genius of our language forbids it. To have 

 left these terms in French would have been inexpedient for self- 

 evident reasons ; and the idea of giving a class in Latin, an order 

 in French, &c., presented too revolting a medley. By giving 

 tliem all in Latin, the common language of science, tliese objec- 

 tions vanished." (p. iv.) 



Cabassous, instead of Tatoud, is therefoi-e the earliest tenable 

 name for the naked-tailed armadillos, and the species given l)y 

 Trouessart, including the one added b}^ Miller, will stand : Cabas- 

 sous unicindus (Linn.), C. lorlcatus (Natt.), C. hispidus (Burm.), 

 C. (Ziphila) lugubris (Gray), and C. (Zlphila) centralis (Miller). 



Other French names used by Cuvier for armadillos, which 

 McMurtrie endeavored to preserve by putting them in Latin 

 form, are : Apara^hased on Dasypusiricinctus ; Cachicnmus, includ- 

 ing B. novemcinctus and D. septemci actus ; and Encoubertus, includ- 

 ing D. sexcinctus and D. octodeciincinctus. These names, however, 

 are untenable, as they were only common names prior to 1831, 

 and other generic terms had previously come into use for the 

 groups to which they were applied. Thus Apara is antedated by 

 Tolypeutes Illiger, 1811, Cachlcamns by Tatu Blumenbach, 1803, 

 while Enconbertits is a synonym of Euphractus Wagler, 1830, and 

 Dasypus Linnaeus, 1758. 



Thomas* has already called attention to the fact that Cyclopes 

 Gray, 1821, is the earliest tenable name for the two-toed anteater 

 {Mynnecophaga didactyla Linn.), usually referred to Cyclothuriis. 

 But as he merely mentioned it in a discussion of the names in 

 Gloger's ' Handbuch,' it has been apparently overlooked, and it 

 may therefore be worth while to refer to it in this connection, as 

 Cyclothurm still remains in use. As a matter of fact, Cyclothurus, 

 although usually quoted as dating from 1825,t is merely a nomen 

 nudum in this reference, and was first published as a valid genus 

 in 1842, in Lesson's ' Nouveau Tableau Regne Animal,, p. 152. 

 There are at least three other genera based on Myrmecophaga 

 didactyla: Eurypterna Gloger, 184:1, My rmy don X Wagler, 1830, 

 and Didactyles% F. Cuvier, 1829, which are actually earlier than 

 Cyclothurus, so that the latter name is clearly untenable and 

 should give way to Cyclopes. 



* Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist., 6th ser., XV, p. 191, Feb., 1895. 

 tThomson's Annals of Philos., XXVI, p. 343, Nov., 1825. 

 JNat. Syst. d. Amphibien, p. 30, 1830. 

 I Diet. Sci. Nat, LIX, p. 501, 1829. 



