20 PALUDINA VIVIPARA. 



adopted specific name. The author who institutes and 

 names a species, should always be cited as the earliest 

 authority for it, under whatever genus or other division it 

 may be placed by later systematists. Species are perma- 

 nent, but other divisions must be modified from time to 

 time, as opportunities to gain the requisite information 

 occur; and it appears to be a gross act of injustice to the 

 earlier zoologists, to leave them nothing for their labors, 

 because they could not take advantage of information ac- 

 quired after their time. One author thinks he does ample 

 justice to his predecessor, by citing him among the 

 synonyms; but here he should place his own name, if he 

 thinks it sufficiently important to occupy a place, merely 

 because he has the very trifling merit of placing a well 

 known animal or plant in its appropriate modern genus. 

 In some works, but few synonyms are cited, and in such, 

 the founder of a species might be omitted entirely. It is 

 true, that Linnaeus never described a shell under the name 

 of Paludina; but he specified one as vivipara; and no one 

 would suppose that he formed the genus, should his name 

 be placed after the species, so that there would not be a 

 cause of error. On the contrary, when we find a modern 

 author citing himself incidentally, (for a European bird, 

 for instance,) we might be led to wonder, why a species 

 had remained so long uncharacterized. Thus, besides de- 

 priving us of the power to know whether a species has 

 been long known, or recently described; there is a source 

 of error laid open, which could scarcely exist, if the juster 

 course were pursued. This is subject to no abuses, whilst 

 the self-appropriating system affords every facility for acts 

 of injustice. Unnecessary divisions are made, apparently 



