38 [February, 



are numbered consecutively ; thus in the Sjstema Naturae (edn. X), 

 pp. 18-19, Vi-e find: — 



" Mammalia— Generum Characteres compendiosi " (1 Homo to 



39 Delphiniis). On pp. S3-85 : — " Avium — Genera Characteres 

 Avium" (40 Vultur to 102 Caprimulgiis). On p. 196: — "Amphibia — 

 Generum Characteres" (103 Testudo to 118 Acipenser). On pp. 

 212-3 :—" Characteres Piscium " (119 Murcena to 109 Pegasus). On 

 pp. 342-4: — "Insecta" (170 Scarahceus to 213 Jidus). 



It will be observed that each of these headings differs in form : 

 in the tabulation of the fishes we have only "Characteres Piscium," 

 both "Pisces" and "generum" being omitted, and in the Insecta, 

 " Generum characteres insectorum " is left out ; but the names in these 

 Orders were regarded as genera is evident from the fact that the nu- 

 merical sequence is maintained throughout, and moreover, in a footnote 

 to the twelfth edition under the Ixsecta we find (p. 537 = t357) : — • 

 ''''Genera Naturalia Auctorum metamorphosi demonstranda vitam scien- 

 tise largiuntur," &c. This edition is practically the same as the tenth as 

 regards its classification, but the numbers of the genera are somewhat 

 higher through the introduction of additional genera, e. g , Scarahceus 

 is No. 189 (instead of 170), and Julus No. 274 (instead of 243). 



To each of these genera a short diagnosis is appended, and by 

 turning to the table we can see what Linnaeus really regarded aa 

 genera in the Lepidoptera. 



In the tenth edition, p. 343 (and in the twelfth, p. 538, but num- 

 bered 231-3) we find:— 

 (Order) "III. LEPIDOPTERA." 

 (genera) " 203 Papilio — Antennae extrorsum crassiores. Alae erectae. 



204 Sphinx — Antennae medio crassiores. 



205 PHAL-aENA — Antennae introrsum crassiores." 



It is therefore evident that Linnaeus did not regard e\t\iQV Bomhgx, 

 Noctiia, Geometra, Pyralis, Toi^tria; Tinea or Alucifa as genera, but 

 employed them as subdivisions or subgenera, and this conclusion is 

 borne out by a footnote on p. 496 of the tenth edition (edn. XII, 

 809) : — " PhaUenae dividendae, quo facilius inquirantur," &c., and here 

 a brief diagnosis to each of these subdivisiors is given. 



If it be objected that the names of these subdivisions cannot be 

 accepted as genera until they were so called by a subsequent author, 

 then it follows that the term genus must be applied to the groups 

 which we now call Rhopalocera and Heterocera, and that PaplUo and 

 Plialana must be used in lieu of these names. It is obvious that 

 in the Lepidoptera the term "genus" is not now used in the sense in 



