41 fJ"b-. 



NoiiENCLATOR ZooLOGiCFS, contiiieiis nomiiia sjsteumtica geiieriim nninialiiiin 

 tam vivcnlium qiiam fossiliura, secundum ordinem alphabcticuiii disposita : sub 

 auspiciis ct siimptibus C. E.. Societatis zoologico-botanicse conscriptus a Comite 

 AuGUSTO DE Mahschall ; Vindobor.ffi, 1873, pp. 482. 



In 1848 was published the -woll-known " Nomenclator " by the late Professor 

 Agassiz, enumerating the names in use from the commencement of the system up to 

 1846, amounting to about 81,000 ; but for some years it has been practically impos- 

 sible for a zoologist labouring under the necessity of coining a new generic term, to 

 be certain that his proposed name was not already in use. It was, then, with great 

 satisfaction that zoologists, heard, a few years since, that a continuation of this work 

 up to the year 1868 was in prcpai-ation by Graf Von Marschall in Vienna. This has 

 at length appeared, and contains, at a rough estimate, about 23,000 additional names, 

 bringing the total to the alarming number of 54,000. This continuation is a great 

 boon, and, even if there be errors of omission (things nearly impossible to avoid 

 in a work of this nature) the compiler deserves, and will doubtless receive, the thanks 

 of all working zoologists. Since the year 1870, an index of new generic names has 

 been added to the vols, of the " Zoological Becord," so that now there remains only 

 1869 absolutely unaccounted for (and a list of the new genera for that year will, we 

 believe, be added to the next volume of the Zool. Eccord). As a reference for generic 

 names only, it would, perhaps, have been better if the work had taken the form 

 ofAgassiz's "Index Universalis," i. e., an alphabetical list from beginning to end, 

 but the compiler (who gives a publication reference and date in each instance) 

 has adopted the classified plan ; there are thus 22 sopai-ate alphabetical lists to wade 

 through instead of one only, and as all names are inserted precisely as published, 

 ■without any grammatical or orthographical emendations, a zoologist who respects the 

 letter H must also search through the vowel initials of the 22 sections before he can 

 always be sure that his proposed term will run the gauntlet of criticism. The num- 

 ber of absolutely " nonsense-names," evidently formed without the slightest attempt 

 at meaning, is enormous, and the greater part of these are found among the 

 various orders of Iiisecta, the chief coiner of them being a well-known English 

 ^vl•iter. A glance shows, also, tliat, for want of a guide such as this, the number 

 of instances in which the same name has been used two or more times, even in the 

 same order, is very large. With neither time nor space for an extended analysis, 

 we conclude by recommending the book as a monument of laborious research of a 

 nature that few could be found to willingly undertake. 



Psyche ; organ of the Cambridge (^Mass.) Entomological Club. Edited by 

 B. PiCKMAN Manx. No. 1 ; May, 1874. 



The ' Club ' under whose auspices this quarter-sheet is issued, appears to number 

 about twenty-five members among which are several names well known and 

 honoured in ontoniologieal science. A first number of any periodical of this 

 nature is scarcely a fair subject for criticism ; but on a future occasion we hope to 

 feel called upon to give a more extended notice. Oiu* present notice shall be limited 

 to praising the proposed plan of giving monthly notes on the bibliography of all 

 » that concerns American Entomology, and to discouraging the attempt initiated to 

 apply ' English ' (or ' common ') names to North American butterflies. Our American 



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