Vol. XI, pp. 173-174 



PROCEEDINGS 



BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON. 



! 



NOTES ON THE NOMENCLATURE OF FOUR GENERA 

 OF TROPICAL AMERICAN MAMMALS. 



BY T. S. PALMER. 



It is generally admitted that stability in nomenclature can 

 only be attained by adhering strictly to the law of priority and 

 adopting the earliest available name for each genus and species. 

 Some of the early writers used native names as generic designa- 

 tions of mammals and birds, but such terms were rejected almost 

 without exception by certain zoologists, who maintained that 

 only scientific names of classical origin should be used. Illiger, 

 and to a less extent Cuvier, were leaders in the reform against 

 ' barbarous ' names, and in carrying out their views did not hesi- 

 tate to replace earlier names l)y others which tliey deemed more 

 appropriate. As their classification of mammals and l)irds was 

 very generally adopted, their nomenclature was accepted with- 

 out question. At present, however, derivation is considered of 

 much less im[)ortance than })riority, and one recent writer, Liais, 

 has even gone so far as to maintain that in the case of South 

 American species scientific names derived from Indian names 

 are preferable to any others. It must be admitted that no valid 

 objections can be urged against barbarous names when such 

 genera as Alactaga, Avnhi, Babirussa, Coendou, Indri, Linsanga, 

 and many others receive general recognition. 



Some of Cuvier's and Illiger's genera have already been aban- 

 doned in favor of earlier ones, but there are still several others, 

 as TatiLsin, Dicotjjles, Cercoleples, and Chryfiothix, which are unfor- 

 tunately antedated by valid names. The nine-banded arma- 

 dillo was placed in a distinct group, Tatusie, by Cuvier in 1822, 



40— Hiui,. Soc. Wami., Vol.. XI, 1897 (lT:i) 



