18 THE GENERA OF FISHES 



script work of Gronow, written in 1780, called Systema Ichthyologicum, 

 in which binomial names were attached to species, after the Linnaean 

 fashion, became the property of the British Museum, by which institu- 

 tion it was published in 1854. This work, as edited by John Edward 

 Gray, does great credit to the scientific discrimination of Gronow ; but 

 at that late date, exactly a hundred years after Gronow's first paper, 

 "Museum Ichthyologicum," nearly all of his new names became syno- 

 nyms. 



Fortunately for the interests of nomenclature, most of Gronow's 

 names were adopted in 1777 by Scopoli, Introd. Hist. Nat. Several 

 other names have been used by subsequent authors, as Gmelin, Bloch 

 and Cuvier; so that the adoption of the names of Gronow works less 

 confusion in the system than might be expected. The suppression of 

 Amia, Liparis, Zoarces, Conger, and Scarus, with the transposition of 

 Amia, are the results most to be regretted. As the few new names of 

 Gronow have lain unnoticed for a century and a half, it seems a pity to 

 revive them. The present writer believes, as already stated, that it 

 would be a wase rule to exclude from the system all post-Linnaean 

 writers who failed to adopt the binary designation of species. As how- 

 ever Brisson, 1760, "the Father of Ornithology," was a writer of this 

 type, it may be possible to make an exception in his case, preserving his 

 genera of Birds. But Ichthyology gains little to atone for the confusion 

 resulting from the introduction at this late day of the names of Gronow, 

 Klein and other polynomial writers not hitherto absorbed into the sys- 

 tem. The generic names of Gronow have been, however, formally ac- 

 cepted by the International Commission of Zoological Nomenclature 

 (Opinion 20, Smithsonian Miscellaneous Contributions, No. 1938) : 

 "Gronow, 1763, is binary, though not consistently binomial. Article 25 de- 

 mands that an author be binary and Article 2 demands that generic 

 names shall be uninomial. Under these articles, Gronow's names are to 

 be accepted as complying with the conditions prescribed by the Code 

 to render a name available under the Code." 



The eligibility of the generic names of Gronow is questioned as not 

 conforming to the Linnccan code in the terminology of species. 



Callorhynchus Gronow, 31 ; type Chimera callorhynchus L. (Cal- 



LORHYNCHUS PINNA DORSI CtC. GronOw). 

 Unquestioned : accepted by later writers. 

 Cyclogaster Gronow, 55; type Cyclopterus liparis L. (Cyclogaster 



BELGis kringburgk (Gronow). 

 The name Liparis used for this genus by Artedi in 1738 was changed to Cy- 



