ao urn is[ JLi^ 



OF THE 



3Sje!tu ^iDrrh l^niotncrlotgic^l Societg^ 



Publishes articles relating to any class of the subkingdom Arthropoda, subject 

 to the acceptance of the Publication Committee. Original communications in this 

 field are solicited. 



Editorial. 



In the course of some remarks on the synonymy and classification 

 of the Noctuidae, which we print in this issue, Dr. John B. Smith calls 

 attention to certain violations of the rule "once a synonym, always a 

 synonym" and protests, somewhat too mildly we think, against the 

 practice. We are in entire agreement with Dr. Smith in this case, 

 but would insist more strongly upon the point. The use of a certain 

 combination of generic and specific names should preclude the subse- 

 quent use of the same combination in any other sense, and a specific 

 name once changed for this reason, cannot subsequently be resurrected, 

 even though removed to another genus. 



In another part of his remarks. Dr. Smith queries why his errone- 

 ous synonymy of Agrotis clandestiiia Harr. was followed in Bulletin 52, 

 U. S. National Museum. We may be permitted to say, on behalf of 

 the author of the Bulletin, that the point was overlooked. Dr. Dyar 

 would have been pleased to correct the synonymy if he had happened 

 to notice the error. 



Again Dr. Smith argues for the retention of the letters w and k 

 as originally used in scientific names. We are pleased to see this 

 matter discussed, for these changes are frequently disconcerting, as 

 Dr. Smith shows, and we hope that some excuse can be found for 

 avoiding them. We think Dr. Smith is justified in claiming a different 

 standing for the letter k than for w, for k did not occur in the old 

 Latin alphabet and was retained in later Latin in one word at least 

 and as an abbreviation. The whole matter rests upon the interpreta- 



