474 



gical profession was not then prepared. Clearly foreseeing at that date the 

 tremendous dissatisfaction that the amended Law would cause, in a pro- 

 fession not all of whose members are accustomed to dealing with a large 

 number of names, the president and the secretary of this commission imme- 

 diately, in part even before adjournment of the Berlin Congress in 1901, 

 made preparations to meet the discontent which to their minds was inevi- 

 table as a result of the action taken at the Berlin Congress. This discontent 

 has now culminated in the presentation to the Commission of several pro- 

 positions which have for their purpose the authorization of exceptions to the 

 Law of Priority. From the fact that the several propositions submitted to 

 the Commission before this Congress convened, and no less than four sub- 

 stitute propositions submitted formally or suggested informally during the 

 present work, are very difiPerent in character, the Commission is persuaded 

 that the adherents of the policy of making exceptions to the Law are far 

 from being in accord as to the method that should be adopted. From the 

 fact that memorials, protests, resolutions, letters, etc., both for and against 

 the plan of exceptions have reached the Commission evidence is clear that 

 the conclusions of the International Congress of Zoology held in Berlin, 

 Germany, are still subject to a considerable difference of opinion. The 

 Commission does not see its way clear to accept the postal card votes that 

 have been taken as representing a sound basis upon which its decision must 

 be made, but incidentally it may be mentioned as a matter of more or less 

 general interest that more persons have protested to the Commission against 

 changing the rules by admitting exceptions than have asked that exceptions 

 be made. The interpretation the Commission places upon the two votes is 

 that there is a tremendously increased interest on both sides of the subject 

 and that there are many zoologists who feel the same inconveniences that the 

 Commission has felt ever since its organization and the same inconveniences 

 that all zoologists have felt who have tried to consistently apply the law. 



95) Admitting without any reservation the point that the Commission 

 itself feels very keenly the inconveniences of the Law, even claiming in fact 

 that the original Commission of 1895 was in favor of certain exceptions as 

 evidenced by its report, the present personnel of the Commission , whatever 

 may be its views as to the wisdom of the action taken in Berlin , stands in 

 overwhelming majority against admitting to the Code any provision looking 

 to exceptions to this long established rule. 



96) The administrative office of the Deutsche Zoologische Gesellschaft, 

 through a statement published (Zool. Anz. March 11, 1913^ as official by 

 its Secretary gives its view to the effect that decision on this matter should 

 be reached during the present Congress and that this decision can not be 

 postponed for three years; furthermore, a number of members of the Con- 

 gress have expressed the view to the effect that this subject must now be 

 settled definitely, finally, and once for all, so that they may proceed in their 

 work undisturbed by vacillations in the rules. 



97j So far as the question concerns the Commission, the matter may 

 be viewed as settled; and if this matter, at least in its present form, comes 

 before any future Congress it will be because of the changes in the Com- 

 mission's personnel that occur by death, resignation, and expiration of 

 terms of service, or because it is forced upon the Commission by circum- 

 stances. 



