4 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 73 



tions, synonymy, and occurrence in British waters for the following 

 fishes that come under consideration in connection with this case : 



g. 46. Pletironectes. Turbot. [5 species reported.] 



96. P. maximus. Common Turbot. 



97. P. rhombus. Brill. 



g. 47. Solca. Sole. [2 species reported.] 



loi. 5". vulgaris. Common sole. Syn. Pletironectes solea Linn, 

 g. 48. Platessa. Fluke. [5 species reported.] 



103. P. vulgaris. Plaise. Syn. Pleuronectes platessa Linn. 



104. P. Aesus. Flounder. Syn. Pleuronectes Aesus Linn. 



105. P. linianda. Dab. Syn. Pleuronectes limanda Linn, 

 g. 49. Hippoglossus. Holibut. [i species reported.] 



108. H. vulgaris. Common holibut. Syn. Pleuronectes hippoglossus 

 Linn. 



The author does not state in connection with any one of these four 

 genera what species he accepts as type species. None of the five 

 .species mentioned under Pleuronectes appears, from the premises 

 presented, to be the type of Pleuronectes by absolute tautonymy, but 

 species No. 97, Pleuronectes rhombus, is type of Rhombus 1817 (not 

 Rhombus Lacep, 1800), by absolute tautonymy, and both Pleu- 

 ronectes maximus and Pleuronectes rhombus had been placed in the 

 genus ScopJithalmiis by Rafinesque, 1810. The fact that Fleming 

 gives the vernacular name " Turbot " to the genus Pleuronectes, and 

 " Common Turbot " to the species Pleuronectes maximus, cannot, 

 " rigidly construed," be taken as designation of type. 



In the introduction to this work, Fleming (1828, p. xxi) states that 

 his History (1828) " is destined to serve as an adjunct " to his Phil- 

 osophy of Zoology (1822), and this statement leads the Secretary to 

 consult said " Philosophy," in order to better understand the premises. 



Fleming (1822, v. 2, Philosophy of Zoology), in the general dis- 

 cussion on nomenclature and species, says : 



P- I53» Where synonymes have unavoidably been created in consequence of the 

 want of communication between distant observers, the rule uni- 

 versally known, but not equally extensively observed, is to give the 

 preference to the name first imposed. 



p. 157, Where useless changes are thus produced in nomenclature, their 

 authors, and their names should be overlooked. 



In a number of places Fleming clearly determines the type species 

 of a genus, for instance: 



p. 173, 2. MiMETES (of Dr. Leach), Clnmpanze The Simia troglodytes 



of authors, is the type of the genus. 



3. Simia. Orang-Outang The Simia Satyrus is the type. 



P- 174. 13- Lemur The Lemur Macaco is the type of this genus. 



