GLEANINGS 



GLEANINGS. 



The vexed question of Zoological Nomenclature is at present receiving much 

 attention from British workers. Thus, in recently published literature mary 

 articles and reports are noticeable. In the first place, one observes in the Report 

 of the British Association Committee on " Zoology Organisation " an allusion to 

 a circular prepared and circulated among British zoologists with a view to 

 obtaining a census of opinion on the question of the strict application of the law of 

 priority, or otherwise. Of one hundred and eight slips returned to the Committee 

 twenty-six were in favour of strict priority, and eighty-two against it. Again, at 

 the second International Congress of Entomology held recently at Oxford 

 considerable time was devoted to the question of nomenclature, and at the closing 

 meeting an important suggestion forwarded to them by the Entomological 

 Society of London was for all practical purposes adopted. This suggestion was 

 to the effect that a permanent International Committee be established to deal 

 with questions of nomenclature as affecting entomology, to consider modifications 

 in the International Code, and to confer on various points with the International 

 Commission. This is fully reported in our three British entomological journals. 

 Lastly, we note a paper in the Entomologist's Monthly Magazine for October (pp. 

 225-227) on "Some Arbitrarily Formed Scientific Names," by August Busck, and 

 one on " Aberrational Names" in the Entomologist's Record lor October (pp. 229- 

 2 3°). by the Rev. George Wheeler. It is devoutly to be wished that such 

 increased attention to the use of valid names and proper methods of naming may 

 result in some degree of uniformity being soon established. But there is still a 

 great deal of disagreement, and the whole question threatens to become a serious 

 hindrance to the prosecution of good scientific work. 



Several papers likely to be of interest to our readers were read during the 

 recent meeting of Section D of the British Association at Dundee. An account 

 was submitted by W. J. Dakin and M. Latarche of a prolonged study of the 

 plankton of Lough Neagh, Ireland. The investigation was a quantitative one, 

 extending over a year, and is described as the first of its kind to be made in the 

 British Islands. A paper was also submitted by J. F. Gemmell, entitled " A 

 Preliminary Account of the Development of the Starfish Aster ias ricbens (L.)," 

 based on researches made at the Millport Marine Biological Station. Other papers 

 of interest are, " Some Observations on Boring Mollusca," by Miss B. Lindsay ; 

 " On the Cestode Parasites of Trout, with special reference to the Plei ocercoid 

 Disease of Trout from Loch Morar," by J. W. Chaloner ; "Notes on the Skull of 

 a Grampus," by Professor R. J. Anderson ; "On the Distribution of Saccammina 

 sph&rica (M. Sars) and Psammosphaera fusca (Schulze) in the North Sea," by 

 E. Heron-Allen and A. Garland ; and lastly, an important Report by the 

 Committee appointed to investigate the Biological Problems incidental to the 

 Belmullet Whaling Station. 



