Orthography of Names of the Natiades. 239 
cervus) has its name from the striking resemblance of its 
mandibles to the antlers of a stag (cervus). If that species 
should have to be transferred to another genus, /., which hap- 
pens to be a feminine noun, and we call the said stag-beetle 
F. cerzva, the fitness of the original appellation would be sadly 
destroyed, as the doe (cerva) has no antlers. The only safe 
rule for the orthography of a specific name, when the species 
shall be shifted from one genus to another, is therefore : /eave 
all nouns unaffected by the gender of the generic name. 
In many specific names ending on enszs, after a geographical 
name ending with a vowel, that vowel is elided, while in others 
it is not, and, in some of the latter, ae is written as a diphthong, 
in others as two distinct vowels. Professor Miller, whom I 
have consulted on this question, writes me: ‘‘Before the sufix 
ensis, elision is imperative, except in the case of y, which is 
so often a consonant that it is always so treated. The words 
suggested would accordingly appear as dhamensis, chalcensts, 
cincinnatensis, demerarensis, monroensis, ohiensis, tampicensis, 
omensts, topekensts, ujijensis, tavoyensts, etc.” 
In the following list of corrected names I have used Simp- 
son’s Synopsis as the basis. The rest of the names adopted, 
or given, by Simpson may be considered as unassailable under 
the protection of the code. Fully aware of the danger of 
doing mischief by any unnecessary change of a published 
name, I have submitted proofs of this paper to five eminent 
judges on questions of nomenclature, and, in every instance, I 
have abided by the verdict of the majority of them—even 
in the case of Dromus dromas, which, according to Canon 
XXX, certainly ought to be Dromas dromas. I beg herewith 
to express my sincere gratitude for the help thus rendered 
by Drs. Wm. Dau, THEODORE GILL, LEONHARD STEJNEGER 
and VICTOR STERKI and Mr. BRYANT WALKER, 
