372 A HISTORY OF FISHES 



work, or with an erroneous conception of the hmits of a variable 

 species, may have successively described the same fish and 

 each given it a different name, or may have given distinct 

 names to what are mere variations of the same species. In 

 such cases that name which was first published takes precedence, 

 even should the later one be eminently suitable and perhaps 

 provide a better description of the fish in question; this becomes 

 what is known as a synonym of the first name. It sometimes 

 happens that the second or later name for a species or genus 

 has been in use among zoologists throughout the world for 

 generations, and it is only later discovered that another name 

 has priority; the question then arises as to whether it is more 

 fitting to apply the strict law of priority and to revive some long 

 buried and little known name to supplant one which is familiar 

 to all and has been in constant use. It is in such cases that the 

 greatest divergence of opinion exists, some workers using one 

 name, some the other. Other factors which tend to lead to 

 confusion are the description of different fishes under the same 

 name, or the inclusion of two or more distinct forms in a 

 description which purports to be that of a single genus or 

 species, but such debatable points cannot be considered here. 



As a general rule, the Greek form is used for generic names, 

 the Latin adjectives being more commonly used for the names 

 of species. The most satisfactory generic names are those 

 giving some sort of description of the main features of the 

 group in question, or drawing attention to the morphological 

 character or characters that separate the group from its nearest 

 allies. Ostracion (a little box) for the Trunk-fishes, Catostomus 

 (inferior mouth) for a genus of Suckers, and Alepocephalus (scale- 

 less head) for a genus of Smooth-heads, are examples of such 

 names. Others have been given in honour of some scientific 

 man, such as Copeina or Copeichthys (literally. Cope's fish) after 

 Dr. Cope, or Valenciennellus after the French ichthyologist, 

 Valenciennes. Some workers have been less scientific in their 

 methods, constructing names by drawing letters out of a hat, 

 or, as in the case of Dr. Leach, by anagrams on his wife's 

 name, Caroline {e.g, Cirolana, Conilera, Nerocila). The trivial 

 name may be descriptive, such as brachycephalus (short-headed), 

 macrognathus (large jawed), maculatus {spottGd) ,fasciatns (barred), 

 and so on; it may be in honour of a person, often the traveller 

 who discovered the species, such as livingstoni, shackeltoni, forbesi, 

 etc.; or it may refer to the place at which the fish was first 

 found, such as japonicus, hispariicus, nigeriensis, brasiliensis, etc. 



