INTRODUCTION 



not be too long, and if there is something catchy about it so 

 much the better. "Chipmunk" illustrates this point for it 

 has become a fixed term all over North America, whereas a 

 name such as "Little Striped Ground Squirrel" not only does 

 not live long, but is confusing because there are "Little 

 Striped Ground Squirrels" of several different genera, quite 

 distinct mammals. It is no easy matter to create diagnostic 

 common names which mean anything and yet find popular 

 approval. In fact, there are very good arguments against 

 giving each and every scientific form a vernacular or trivial 

 name, and I have done so in the full knowledge that my action 

 will be open to criticism. My answer will be that this field 

 book is primarily for the layman and he will want common 

 names; for others there are Latin names, and the common 

 names may be ignored. Indian names are useful and from 

 them we have taken "Woodchuck," "Sewellel," "Cacomistl," 

 and "Jaguar," and so forth. Where it has been necessary to 

 create a common name or select one from names already 

 created, the attempt has been made to get a name as nearly 

 as possible conforming to the requirements of brevity, signifi- 

 cance and everyday usage. 



Mammalogy as a Science 



And now, having called attention to the difficulties of 

 classification in popular terms and the lack of common names, 

 it should be stated that the study of mammals as carried on by 

 specialists is by no means inexact or unscientific, but is 

 precise and regulated to the last degree. Naturalists have 

 formulated regular rules for the basis of classification and the 

 creation of scientific names, and taking the tenth edition of 

 Linnaeus' Systema Natures, 1758, as the starting point, they 

 have developed the study of mammals along definitely pre- 

 scribed and universally (more or less) accepted laws. The 

 classification of mammals is not just a game with highly 

 artificial rules; wherever possible arbitrary assumptions and 

 the personal equation have been eliminated, although these 

 factors can never be completely eliminated. And this brings 

 us to the methods employed to standardize results and to 

 enable us to compare the data gathered by one worker with 

 that brought together by all other workers. 



