SELECTION OF LECTOTYPES OF INDIAN MAMMALS. 369 



have been elinuiiated, aud " co-types " selected for many of 

 Hodgson's names, s\ich co-types being so far as practicable chosen 

 from the collection ho sent as forming a fii"st typical set to the 

 National Museum in 1813 and 1845. 



Now however in connection with an important paper by Mr. 

 Wroughton summarizing the progress of Indian Mammalogy since 

 the date of Blanford's ]\[ammals of India, a paper in which the 

 types of all the described Indian jMammals will be designated, it has 

 seemed advisable for the oflicial Zoolocjist in chare-e of the ]\Iuseum 

 collection of Mammals to select definitelj- " Lectotypes " from the 

 co-types, so as to avoid the perpetuation of the confusion that has 

 hitherto reigned. Such a formal selection, made after comparison, 

 with the other co-types, and examination of the original descriptions, 

 entries in registers and other pertinent notes, published and unpubli- 

 shed, is a proceeding which gives these lectotj^pes the status of full 

 types (holotypes) and is not liable to later reversal unless definitely 

 proved to be erroneous. The whole subject will therefore be very 

 materially simplified. 



Although the Hodgson types are the most important, owing both 

 to their number and the diverse methods in which his species were 

 published, yet it has been thought advisable to treat all the other 

 Indian IMammals in the same way, including those of Elliot, Gray, 

 Hoi-sfield, Blanford and other writers. 



The following list therefore designates a lectotype for eveiy 

 Indian species which has not already had a single type nominated 

 for it. 



The designation is simply by the Museum register number in each 

 case, and no detailed account of locality, or specification of other 

 co-types, is now thought necessary, as these details, if wanted, are 

 obtainable from other sources. In fact most of them will be found 

 in Mr. Wroughton's forthcoming paper. 



Since however when one of the several co-types is selected as a 

 lectotype, the others lose their primaiy typical status, I have thought 

 it advisable so to label the latter that later workers shall not be led 

 astray by making comparisons with specimens marked as "co-types " 

 without further indication. These specimens being now placed, in 

 relation to their respective lectotypes, exactly in the position that 

 paratypes are in relation to types, when originally selected as such, 

 I have labelled them as " lectoparatypes " my selection of them as 

 paratypes corresponding to the selection of their preferred brothers 

 as types, that is lectotypes. 



With regard to the very difficult question as to what generic na- 

 mes the species should be placed under in such a list as the present, 

 I have cut the knot by assigning every one to the genus to which 

 it would now be referred, irrespective of that imder which it was 

 first described. 



