ITNNEAX SOCIETY OF LOXDOX. 69 



On Vaunthompsonia, Bate. 



For the difficulties which beset our use of this generic uame, 

 Vaughan Thompson, iu whose honour it was invented, is only 

 indirectly responsible. The genus belongs to the Sympoda, for 

 long but very unsuitably known as Cumacea, in dealing with which 

 among many eminent names there are, I think, pre-eminent, 

 Kroyer in Denmark, Sars in A^orway, and our own Dr. Caiman in 

 England. Now in this remarkable group Thompson, as already 

 intimated, promised but never gave " Detail of the curious struc- 

 ture of several species of the newly instituted Genus Condylura 

 (Cancer Scorpionurus of Montagu)."' No doubt he intended to 

 refer to '■'■Cancer Scorpioides" of Montagu, but among his 

 collections there were subsequently found specimens labelled as 

 three species of a new genus Scorpionura. Here he had once 

 again the misfortune to choose a nauie preoccupied before his own 

 use of it was published. Thus it came about that Spenee Bate 

 instituted the genus Vaunthompsonia for one of Thompson's three 

 species. For the record of this genus we are indebted. first of all 

 to Professor Kiuahan, through the ' Natural History Eeview,' 

 vol. V. pp. 202-205, 1858. The professor there says, " I have 

 extracted Mr. Bate's communication and figures in extenso from 

 the ' Journal of the Eoyal Dublin Society,' before whose evening 

 meeting of the 28th May it was read." The definition of Vaun- 

 thompsonia (Spenee Bate) is included in the communication. 

 Next year, in the ' Annals of Natural History,' ser. 3, vol. iii. 

 pp. 273-274, no. IG for xlpril 1859, Spenee Bate speaks of the 

 genus Yaun^Ao/nsonia, recently described by me in the ' Natural 

 History lieview.' Then finally, in the ' Journal of the lioyal 

 Dublin Society,' vol. ii. 1858-1859 (Dublin: Hodges, Smith, & 

 Co., 1860), pp. 101-104, he defines Vaun/o?3ijjsonia, n. g. In 1005, 

 however, Dr. Caiman argues that this last form has priority. Of 

 \ixv\nthomp)somii he says that " it is used iu Spenee Bate's paper 

 in the Nat. Hist. Eeview, which appears to be a i-eprint of, and 

 was probably later than, that in the J. Eoyal Dublin Soc, in which 

 the aspirate is omitted. In any case the omission was clearly 

 intended by the author, who states that in building up the word 

 the Christian name and the surname of Mr. Vaughan Thompson 

 have been " both spelled according to sound." But the ' Natural 

 History Eeview ' of 1858, in which Bate's paper appeared through 

 the intervention of Kinahau, recoi'ded the Proceedings of various 

 Irish Societies, much as 'Nature' and 'The Athenaeum' nowadays 

 record the Proceedings of many Societies, as a rule far in advance 

 of the Journals of the Societies themselves. There is no reason 

 for thinking that the 'Journal' of the Eoyal Dublin Society, 

 published under the date of 18G0, was earlier than the 'Natural 

 History Eeview ' of 1858. But there is a reason for thinking 

 that it was later, since, as already mentioned, Sponce Bate iu 

 April 1859 speaks of the genus Yaun^/ioj^sonia, recently described 



