208 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



a genus can be said to be ' defined ' by a type. For instance, Papilio, 

 type machaon, means only a genus, which contains the species machaon, 

 but leaves quite undecided whether such a genus comprises all 

 organisms, all animals, all insects, all Lepidoptera, all butterflies, all 

 hexapodous butterflies, all Equites, or only some greater or smaller part 

 of the Equites, and is therefore not at all defined, and certainly much 

 less defined than Linne's genus Papilio ." 



Keplies to the first section of Question 3 were also received 

 from seven other entomologists. An analysis of the whole num- 

 ber of replies shows that five were in favour of accepting the 

 'Tentamen' genera, and that six were opposed to their adoption. 



With regard to the year in which the ' Tentamen ' was pub- 

 lished, it appears that Lord Walsingham, Dr. Staudinger, Pro- 

 fessors Fernald, Grote, and Smith consider the date to be 1806 ; 

 whilst Mr. Kirby is of opinion that publication did not take 

 place until some time between the years 1807 and 1816. 



The majority of the replies to Question 4 were in favour of 

 accepting the genera of Hiibner's ' Zutrage,' the actual num- 

 bers being seven for and four against. 



5. Are the Genera of Hubner's ' Verzeichniss ' to be ac- 

 cepted or not? If accepted, what date is to be 

 assigned to them ? 



The Committee, with one possible dissentient, accepts the 

 ' Verzeichniss ' genera, but there is some difference of opinion as 

 to the date of publication. It seems, however, to have been 

 generally recognised by the nine members of the Committee who 

 replied to this part of the question that the work was issued in serial 

 form. Four of these replies set down the date of commencement 

 as 1816, and all agree that the work was concluded by 1826 or 

 1827. Sir George Hampson is unable to find any evidence of 

 portions of the 'Verzeichniss' having been published prior to 

 the year 1826. He writes : — 



"I am of opinion that the date assigned to the 'Verzeichniss' 

 genera should be 1827, when Geyer published the collected work which 

 Hiibner had in part or perhaps wholly distributed in sheets at uncertain 

 intervals during his lifetime, but never definitely published. If this 

 date (1827) be assigned to it, the nomenclature based on it would have 

 some possibility of permanence." 



The settlement of Question 6 is largely one for philologists to 

 finally decide, and we will dismiss it by simply quoting Lord 

 "Walsingham's reply thereto : — 



" iidce and iince are incorrect, and iance and iadm should be used. 



" The Committee of the British Association had no power to 

 promulgate tbe employment of terms not orthographically written, and 

 there is no evidence that they had such intentions. Whetber they 

 had or had not matters little ; the question is orthographical, not 



