BIHANG TILL K. SV. VKT.-AKAl). HaXJ)L. BAND 13. AFD. IV. N:0 5. 1») 



Jn thc iiutiimn tenn of 1755 LiNN-Eus lecturod on the 

 Insects, and the uotes taken by one of his hearers are still 

 extant ^). »For tlic most part;-, lie says, »1 am going to piit 

 before you, as types, iudigcnous species only», and he alludes 

 to the Quecn's cabinct for ouly a few more remarkable exotic 

 species. The preparations for »ray new edition; , the so-called 

 tenth, propcrly the fonrth, of the S. N., are manifest. Hister 

 is dismembered from Coccinella, Silpha from Dermestes of the 

 schedules, Sphiux from Phalasna, Bombylius from Culex. The 

 »nomina trivialia» in use among collectors and describers, many 

 of them carcfully noted in the Lepidoptera of the Faunn 

 Svecica of 1746, but there at the very base of tlie references, 

 as for instance: 772, »vnlgo iMorio», 776, »vulgo Ociilns pavo- 

 nis», 778, »vulgo bella donnas, are here promoted to their fu- 

 ture position at the top, and thiis raiscd to the dignity of 

 representing species, bnt, stränge to say, were mostly abando- 

 ned in the S. N. ed. 10, where some of them, however, are 

 recorded from the Fauna Svecica. The principle of binarv 

 nomenclature is carried ont, but its anthor lins not vet made 

 up his mind as to its manner of application in a mimbcr of 

 special cascs -). 



It cannot reasonably be donbted that the descriptions 

 of thc Tcstacca of the ]\I. L. V. Avere originally Avritteu by 

 LiNN^us on schedules similar to those of the Jnsecta. Such 

 is indeed the only method consistcnt with the necessitv of 

 having the series open at every point for the insertion of 

 additional species, and in a stat(^ to be arranged and rearran- 

 ged with facility. It bas been scen that the ]\IS of the In- 

 secta was also copied on separate schedules, which were, no 

 doubt, when linally arranged, put into the compositors hands, 

 and it is certainly no böld siiggestion that sueii was the practice 

 of LiNN^Eus with all his descriptive works ^). The Linnean ]\IS 



') Caroli Linnrei etc. Collegium privatura entoniologicum, tempore 

 autumuali 1755 habituui. MS in 4:o. 190 pag. In the råhrary of the 

 Academy of Sciences. 



") »It is puzzliug how to lind »nomina trivialia» for all these butter- 

 flies, as \ve know nothing about the food of their larva^, so I have given 

 the names as they occurred to me. It matters not whether I know the 

 reason or not why anyone of my hearers bears this or that uame, if I 

 can only distlnguish yon one from another by your names.» Lectiire 1755. 



') Indeed, Afzelius says Linn.t:us habitnally wrote do\\:n the de- 

 scriptions on separate schedules, making 12 or IG from a sheet of paper. 

 and used to keep some such loaflets ready in his pocket-book. 



