XXVi LLOYD S NATURAL HISTORY. 



2. BoMBYCES a/is incumhentibus : Anfennis Pectinatis. 



— Elingues : absque lingua iiianifestc spirali, 



— — Alls r-eversis. 



— — Alis deflcxis. 



— Spirilingues : Liugua ifivoluto-spirali. 



— — laeves. 



— — cristat^e dorso. 



This system came into general use during the latter half of 

 the eighteenth century. Linnaeus and some of his followers 

 used a trinomial nomenclature, generally writing "Phal^ena 

 Bombyx," " Phalasna Noctua," &c. before each name ; but 

 others wrote simply, " Phala^na." In quoting authors who 

 adopted the former system I think it most convenient, and less 

 misleading, to drop the word Fhahrna, and to write " Bombyx " 

 or '' Noctua," as the case may be, than to drop these words and 

 write only '•''Fhala^jia'^ before the specific name, as is usually done. 



We must not omit to notice that Linnceus adopted a system 

 of uniform terminations for some of his groups ; thus, the 

 species of the third section of the Sphiiiges received names 

 like fuciforuiis^ apiformis^ &c. : the names of the Geometrce 

 were made to end in -aria or -afa, those of the Tortrices in 

 -ana^ of the Pyrales in -alis, of the Tinece in -ella, and those 

 of the Alucifce in -dadyla. 



This system has been largely adopted, and when sensibly and 

 fairly carried out, is a very useful aid to the memory. Unfor- 

 tunately, however, some Entomologists regard the practice as 

 childish, and refuse to conform to it in any way, while others 

 have carried it out in the most absurd manner. Thus, two 

 Entomologists have been honoured by having their names applied 

 to moths in the guise of Sesia schmidtiiformis, and Pterophorus 

 millieridactylus \ and Walker, in ai)plying classical names to 

 Pyrales^ simply added -alis to them indiscriminately, so that we 



