18 VIVIPARA. 



four. This difference was first detected by 

 Kiister, who described it as V. Uneata, Valen- 

 ciennes, a very different species ; but the latter 

 species being falsely attributed to North 

 America, being in fact a synon}^! of V. Ben- 

 galeiisis, Lam., the name given will stand as 

 Kiister's. Mr. Binney, on the ground of the 

 mistake referred to, and because also lineata is 

 not an appropriate name for the species, im- 

 poses a new one, V. contectoides ; but it would 

 be productive of immense confusion to nomen- 

 clature to permit alterations because authors 

 fancy that names are inappropriate, — for it is 

 not to be denied that on such pretext many of 

 the names heretofore proposed would require 

 changing ; names of comparison, particularly, 

 would need altering. In the names of the 

 Viviparce, for example, an almost entire change 

 might be effected, for on looking over the list 

 of character-names I scarcely find a half-dozen 

 that would not have been more characteristic 

 of other species than those which bear them. 

 After all, as Shakspeare says, "What's in a 



[44] * 



