296 Transactions. — Zoology. 



nothing to prevent a collector of British moths, by the substi- 

 tution of a name, from figuring as the creator of a genus of 

 sharks." Eeally the thing will ere long be reduced to such 

 absurdity that it will kill itself, and the sooner the better. 



Eecognising, as I do, the fact that this "priority" craze 

 has been the outcome, to a great extent, of an " Inter- 

 national Congress of Zoologists," held in Paris and Moscow 

 (and Zurich ?) during the last few years, I yet venture to point 

 out that science is essentially republican, not subject to the 

 dictation or domitiation of anybody ; consequently blind 

 obedience to the orders of such a congress is not necessary. I 

 find in a copy of the results of the congress, obligingly sent to 

 me by my friend Dr. E. Blanchard, of Paris, the following 

 dictum: "Every generic name which has been already em- 

 ployed in the same kingdom must be discarded." This, of 

 course, permits any amount of duplication between the animal 

 and vegetable kingdoms ; and, in strict interpretation, it does 

 not authorise any one except the original inventor to make 

 alterations : yet from some such rule as this has come the 

 mischievous system which I have referred to. In its actual 

 wording the rule is unexceptionable ; no author ought to select 

 for a genus a name previously in use if he can help it. But 

 this is not saying that another person has any right to correct 

 such an error without the author's consent, and so to usurp 

 credit which does not belong to him. 



For myself, I intend to employ the name " Brachyscelis," 

 Schrader, whenever it comes in my way to refer to the genus 

 to which he gave that name. 



Section DIASPIDIN^. 

 Genus Aspidiotus. 

 Aspidiotus bossiese, Maskell. 



I find that the real colour of the female puparium in this 

 species is snowy-white. The specimens from which I origi- 

 nally described it were obscured by fungus. Mr. French has 

 sent me several during the year (on the same plant, Bossiea 

 ])rociimhens) which are not so covered, and they look as if 

 coated with white sugar, with a small ring over the larval 

 pellicle. They form quite a pretty microscopic object. 



Aspidiotus ceratus, Maskell . 



I have received specimens of this species from Mr. Lea, 

 Western Australia. Some of the puparia have a sHghtly 

 yellow tinge. Mr. Lea says, " Only one twig on a tree usually 

 affected, but that twig densely covered." 



Aspidiotus rossi (Crawford), Maskell. 



This species is fast becoming cosmopolitan. It is found in 



