B.C. Entomological Society. 



been suggested to me that I should take the questions of nomenclature 

 and classification as the subjects of my address on this occasion. Taking 

 into consideration the yevy limited time at my disposal,- it seems ridicu- 

 lous that I should attempt such large subjects. However. I will try to 

 deal with them in a simple manner and as briefly as possible. It must be 

 taken that I speak for the most part from the standpoint of a lepidopterist, 

 but the principles are much the same for the other orders. 



To take nomenclature first: When natural-history objects came to 

 be seriously classified (nearly two centuries ago), it was found that in 

 order to avoid confusion it was absolutely necessary to have names that 

 ■\\ Tiuld be known to apply to the same object all the world over. It is due 

 to the famous Swedish naturalist, Linnaeus (or A'on I_.inne, as he took 

 the title of in 1757), that order was commenced to be rescued from chaos. 

 He it was who introduced the binomial system in his great work, the 

 " Systema Natur;e," first published in 1735. Linnreus was primarily a 

 botanist, but afterwards he turned his attention to the whole system of 

 nature. At first he seems to have ransacked heathen mythology and 

 ancient Roman history for his names. A great many European species 

 bear to-day the names he ga\-e them. Among well-known butterflies the 

 names Machaon, Daphlidice, Hyale, Antiopa, lo, Iris, etc., readily occur 

 to one as examples of these. Succeeding workers and classifiers adopted 

 the principles Linn?eus laid down — namely, a family name and a single 

 specific name. 



The text-books lay down the rule that the name of a genus (family) 

 or of a subgenus is always a single word, and should be a noun of the 

 singular number and in the nominative case. The names of all groups 

 of genera (i.e., families, orders, classes, and branches) consist each of a 

 single word, and this word should be a plural noun in the nominative 

 case. No fixed rule appears to ha^'e been adhered to in the bestowal of 

 specific names. The following quotation taken from the preface to a 

 work published by the Entomological Societies of Oxford and Cambridge 

 in the year 1858 bears upon this subject: — 



" Linne, the author of that biliary system of nomenclature which has 

 now been adopted in everj^ department of natural history of organized 

 beings, lays down various maxims for regulating the selection of names. 

 His object was to exclude barbarism and confusion; nevertheless, many 

 names given by Linne himself are fanciful enough and not peculiarly 

 applicable ; they are casual or arbitrary appellations. His precept con- 

 cerning the formation of the names of species is one of considerable 

 latitude ; for, when the name of the genus is assigned, the species, he 

 sajs, may be marked by adding to it a ' nomen triviale,' a single word 

 taken at will from any cjuarter. Such names, whether appropriate or 

 not, when once established by adequate authority, soon lose their incon- 

 venience ; and accordingly it is now recognized as a rule that in every 

 case the trivial name first published shall be retained and all later 

 synonyms rejected." 



