SOME GENERA OP RAFINESQrE. 123 



thus : '^Description of the Ioxylon pomifeeum, a new genus 



of North American Tree^ It is one of the most impoitaiit 

 of early chapters in American dendrology. The author 

 before writing it seems to have availed himself of every 

 opportunity for getting information concerning this novelty 

 from the far Southwest, He cites Pursh's hints relating to 

 it, and acknowledges his special indebtedness to Bradbury, 

 to Nuttall and to McMahon for information. These credits 

 being given, he offers in due form the generic character of 



Ioxylon, and assigns the specific name pomferum. Then 



follows a full and interesting account of the history and uses 

 of the tree, its fruit and its wood. 



About a year after all this had been done, Nuttall projjosed 

 the name Madura for the genus, making no allusion to the 

 circumstance of Eafinesque's having already published it by 

 a good name and a full description. To this omission, 

 Kafinesque, in 1819, in the Journal de Physique, adverts in a 

 sentence which runs thus : "Toxylon, Raf. Monthly Maga- 

 zine, 1817, was changed without cause into 2Iaclura by 

 Kuttal], ill 1818/' 



It will be seen that our author gave two different names to 

 bis genus. He appears to have held that, while no man 

 might supplant another's prior generic or specific name for a 

 thing, one might recall, and offer later substitutes for, those 

 of his own making. Others, both before Rafinesque and 

 since his time, have held to such a view ; though it is wholly 

 indefensible, and none now contend for it. In some para- 

 graph of his no,t now at hand for citation, Eafinesque has 

 explained—and I conjecture that his mother-tongue was 

 modern Greek— that Ioxylon means Arrow-wood, and Toocy- 

 lon, Bow-wood. There was an early report that the Indians 

 nsed the wood for making arrows, and a later one that they 

 employed it for bows rather than arrows. But either of 

 Bafinesque's generic names is good, though Ioxylon alone 

 bas priority over Machirci, and must therefore stand as the 

 name of the genus, while ToxyJon which Eafinesque pre- 

 ferred, must with its several specific names pass along with 



