475 



98 lu this report it has been unreservedly stated that the Law of 

 Priority is a harsh law and produces inconveniences. It has also been stated 

 that the president and the secretary of the Commission, when defeated in 

 the Berlin Congress in attempt to make this Law somewhat milder, imme- 

 diately laid plans with a view of possibly meeting the situation in some other 

 way. The general plan discussed by them after their defeat in Berlin in 

 1901 has been constantly held in reserve to be presented when the proper 

 time should come. It is this plan, in slightly modified form, that the Com- 

 mission presents to the Congress as basis for an attempt to relieve zoologists, 

 more especially teachers, of at least some of the inconveniences of which com- 

 plaint is made. That this plan does not go far enough to suit some mem- 

 bers of this Congress is so self evident that it need not even be admitted. 

 It is, however, the unanimous opinion of the Commission as assembled in Mo- 

 naco, that this is the most feasible method in view by which this work may 

 be inaugurated. Prior to giving the plan in detail, it may be stated that 

 the Secretary of the Commission has asked a number of zoologists to give a 

 rough estimate as to the number of names for which exceptions were desired 

 and also the number of names in the working vocabulary of the average 

 zoologist other than systematists. The estimates in reply to the first (question 

 varied exceedingly, one man placing it as low as 20, others as high as 600; 

 the estimate in reply to the latter question, as to vocabulary, usually, varied 

 from 300 to 600, although one man placed it at 1000. This highest esti- 

 mate, namely, 1000 names, is taken as present numerical basis in the sug- 

 gestion here made, namely, the adoption of the following resolution: 



99) Whereas, It is claimed that during the transitional period in 

 nomenclature when the names are being reduced to a consistent, uniform, 

 and objective basis, hardships result to many zoologists, especially to teachers, 

 because of the changes involved , Therefore, be it 



100) Hesolved, that the Ninth International Zoological Congress 

 establish an 'International Committee on Transitional Names', as follows : 



1) No person is eligible to serve at the same time as a member of the 

 International Commission of Zoological Nomenclature and on this new 

 Committee. 



2) Said Committee is to be composed of 15 zoologists who shall have 

 power to organize in such manner as they may deem wise. 



3) Said Committee is empowered to select 1000 (and no more) zoolo- 

 gical names, in such manner and with such aid from other zoologists as the 

 Committee may desire, and is instructed definitely to define the meaning of 

 the names selected, 



4) Said list of 1000 names is to be known as the 'Transitional List' 

 and it shall be considered proper during the transitional stage of nomen- 

 clature of any given group, for any author to use any of said names, even 

 though they be not in accord with the Law of Priority. 



5) All authors making use of the Transitional List are urgently re- 

 quested to designate the names by a dagger (fi or by such other sign as the 

 Committee may select, in order to signify that they are iising the names in 

 the sense of the list. 



6i As soon as both the International Commission of Zoological Nomen- 

 clature and the International Committee on Transitional List votes inde- 

 pendently by a two-thirds majority that the time has come in the nomen- 



