10 Nomenclature of Zoology. 
compounded. yp. Nonsense names; words without any deriva- 
tion or meaning whatever. g. Names previously cancelled by 
the operation of rule 6. r. Specific names raised to generic. 
Some of these might be regarded as undesirable, rather than 
as objectionable ; such as those under classes b, c, d, h. To class 
d, we can see very little objection. To class g, we feel very 
strong objections; not simply because complimentary designa- 
tions, unless “restricted to persons of high eminence as scientific 
geologists,” are in very bad taste, but because of the awkward- 
ness there isin attempting to pronounce. names belonging toa 
nation whose language we are unacquainted with. What person 
acquainted with the English language only, or we may add with 
Latin and Greek also, would venture upon such words as Mi- 
chaudi, Dupetit Thouarsii, Le Guillouii, Entrecastauxii, G'heis- 
breghtii, Eschscholtzii.. This difficulty is not all on the part of 
the Englishman; on the contrary, the names of Englishmen 
and Americans are more formidable and forbidding to all the na- 
tions of southern Europe, than their names are to us. Few of 
us would be likely to recognize our own names when articulated 
in French or Italian. | ; 
With rules A and B, and with the first more especially, would 
we fully concur; but from the next we should decidedly dissent. 
The reason given for beginning aspecific name, when derived from 
a proper name, with a small initial, “that when used alone, it is 
liable to be occasionally mistaken for the title of a genus,” seems 
to us to be too trivial, Persons who are so little experienced as to 
be misled thus, would be misled by almost any thing. Besides, 
that the contrary custom is an ancient and almost universal one, 
we think that few persons would covet the compliment of seeing 
their cognomen degraded from a proper toa common name. Per- 
haps, however, this rule is intended to bear more especially upon 
the practice Sometimes pursued, of commencing common nouns 
used in the genitive form as specific names, with a capital. If 
so, we would adopt it thus far. We believe that the following 
tule would be both more proper and more acceptable. All spe- 
cific names, except such as are derived from persons or places, 
should begin with a small initial; and generic names should 
always begin with a capital, 
_ The method recommended in rule D, is worthy of strict atten- 
tion. Another mode which we like still better is, to append the 
