( r.i ) 



tjiat pelJioiiclla wlion at rest folds its wings in a tent-like 

 shape. 



Sir George's suggestion that most of the authors in " Seitz" 

 and most of the American authors adopt this principle simply 

 made me gasp Avith surjirise ; whether at the time of the 

 initiation of this, at the Cambridge Congress, the American 

 authors adopted the principle I do not remember exactly ; I 

 doubt it; but to-day there is no question that they do not 

 do so, and looking over my " Seitz"' again I really do not see 

 any justification for the remark. One or two do so, but the 

 bulk of the authors act quite independently of the method, 

 taking the first species in some cases but not in others. 

 Further than this, the injustice of the thing is ap])arent on 

 the face of it. Why should we at this late date take upon 

 ourselves to ignore all the revisionary work of earlier students ? 



Sir George would scrap the work of all revisers if they did 

 not adopt his pet theory ; we might quite as well adopt as a 

 working principle the suggestion that all descriptions should 

 be ignored if a figure was not published with the description 

 or shortly after. 



Instead of coming rapidly into general use, as Sir George 

 thinks, it has gone rapidly out of use. It never had general 

 accj^uiescence, and to-day in all branches of zoology it is dis- 

 carded by the great majority of workers, and I can only hope 

 that Sir George will see that he stands practically alone in 

 his idea, and that he will soon leave that solitary position. 



Mr. T. Iredale, who was present as a visitor, spoke regarding 

 Sir G. Hampson's contention that this principle (the first- 

 species rule) was accepted by a majority of workers in other 

 classes, and as regards ornithology and conchology denied 

 that it had any adherents at all. Some years ago the American 

 Ornithologists' Union debated the subject and inclined to 

 accept the first-species rule, and advised to that effect. The 

 result, however, was that immediately the advice was re- 

 pealed, as it was proved that confusion would ensue, without 

 prospect of later stability. It might be further added that 

 even when the matter was under discussion it was agreed by 

 all workers that the Linnean genera must be excepted, as it 

 was a known fact that the first species in Linne's system was 



