THE PRACTICAL ENTOMOLOGIST. 



99 



is either to hoist up or to lower upon the top the 

 second sail, counting from the deck, on the second 

 mast counting from the stem of the vessel." Per- 

 haps, before he got to the end of his long-winded 

 order, the sail would be blown to flinders or the 

 good ship capsize and go to the bottom. 



In quoting the scientific name of any plant or 

 animal, an Insect for example, it is usual to give 

 not only the generic and specific names, but the 

 name of the author who first described the species ^ 

 for maia.noe "Conotrachelus nenuphar, Herbst" is 

 the full scientific designation of the common "Cur- 

 culio." The use of this custom is obvious. If any 

 one is in doubt whether a species which he has be- 

 fore him is the true "Curculio'' or not, the scientific 

 designation directs him to turn to the works of the 

 German Entomologist Herbst, and he finds there a 

 reference to the author who first established the 

 genus Conotrachelus and a full description of the 

 species called neavphar by Herbst, which he can 

 compare with the specimens in his hands, and see 

 whether or not it agrees exactly, after he has first 

 ascertained that his specimens really belong to the 

 genus called Conotrachdus by the French Entomo- 

 logist Latreille. Some few writers indeed, in quo- 

 ting the scientific name of a species, add the name, 

 not of the writer who first described the species, 

 but of the writer who first referred it to the rij;ht 

 genus. But this plan is practically inconvenient — 

 whatever may be said in behalf of its theoretical 

 justice — and it is to be hoped will never be gener- 

 ally adopted. 



Owing to the grammatical peculiarities of the 

 Latin language, the generic name, which is a noun, 

 always precedes the specific name, which is usually 

 an adjective, as is generally the case also in the 

 French language. In English, on the contrary, the 

 adjective precedes the noun and we say " White 

 Oak" instead of the Latin "Quercus alba" (Oak 

 white) or the French "Chene blanc" (Oak white"). 

 But a little practice soon reconciles one to this de- 

 viation from the usages of our mother tongue. 



In addition to the Species and the Genus, there 

 are other more extensive groups in the Animal 

 Kingdom, namely the Family, the Order, the Class 

 and the Sub-kingdom or Type or Branch, each gra- 

 dually more extensive and comprehensive than the 

 one which precedes it in the list, besides several 

 subordinate groups such ^ Tribes, Subfamilies, 

 Suborders, &c., which are used in various senses 

 by various authors. The whole scheme of arrange- 

 ment may be aptly compared to the organization of 

 a modern army. The Animal Kingdom corres- 

 ponds to the Army, the Sub-kingdom to an Army 

 Corps, the Class to a Division, the Order to a Bri- 

 gade, the Family to a Regiment, the Genus to a 

 Company, and the Species to the individual Soldier. 

 Now any military man would laugh outright, if a 

 civilian talked of the IKith Division of Illinois In- 

 fantry or the 99th Brigade of Pennsylvania Caval- 

 ry. And so do scientific men sometimes smile, when, 

 as is continually the case, scientific charlatans talk 

 of the Family (not Class) of Birds or the Order 

 (not Family) of the Crickets. It is very true that 



the Scientific Army has been from time to time re- 

 organized and remodeled, so that, so to speak, the 

 number of Divisions, Brigades, &c., is changed from 

 time to time by successive commanders, and some- 

 times even by the same commander. Still the great 

 fundamental principle of its organization remains 

 always the same; and it is well worth while to be- 

 come familiar with it, if it were only because it af- 

 fords a sure earmark to distinguish the pretentious 

 quack from the scientific naturalist. 



In one remarkable respect the Scientific is a 

 little more perfect than the Military organization. 

 To designate any particular animal or plant, all that 

 is absolutely necessary is to name the species and 

 genus to which it belongs; while to designate any 

 particular soldier in an Army to whom, for example, 

 we wish to forward a letter, we have to state not 

 only the soldier's name (John Jones) and the com- 

 pany to which he belongs (Company D), but also 

 the particular regiment of which his company 

 forms a part, and probably the particular Army 

 Corps of which that regiment forms a part; where- 

 as in scientific parlance we usually name only the 

 genus and the species. But if the number of ge- 

 nera in the Scientific army continues to increase at 

 the same fearful rate, at which it has been increas- 

 ing for many years back, it will be impossible for 

 any human memory to retain the names of them all; 

 and it will then become necessary to add the Fami- 

 ly or Regimental name to the generic and specific 

 names, so that we may comprehend the more readi- 

 ly where the particular species which is referred to 

 belongs. Some few entomological writers have al- 

 ready adopted this system, writing for instance, 

 Buprestis (chrysobothris) femorata Fabricius, in- 

 stead of Chrysobothris femorata Fabricius, which 

 is the more usual designation of our common 

 western Apple-tree Borer. 



ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



BY B. D. WALSH, M. A.— Associate Editor. 



C. S. Jackson, Ky. — The chestnut-colored beetle cover- 

 ed with very short white hairs and fully a quarter of an 

 inch long, which you say is making great destruction in 

 your vineyards this year, is an undescribed species oi Fi- 

 dia. This genus is allied PachnephoruSy which contains 

 several described species, and it belongs to the same great 

 CAiysome/a family as the common striped Cucumber-bug 

 {Diabroticavittata) , the blue Flea-beetle of the Grape-vine 

 {Haltica chalybea), several species of small Flea-beetles 

 which infest young cabbage and radish-plants and also, 

 as I have observed, young egg-plants, and our newly-im- 

 ported Potato-bug {jbori/phora 10-Hneata), besides two spe- 

 cies of Tortoise-beetle which infest the Sweet Potato ( Cos- 

 sidavittata and pallida.) I have taken your beetle on the 

 wild grape vine in small numbers both in North and 

 South Illinois, but this is the first instance on record of 

 its swarming aa it does with you. Its falling from the 

 leaf and feigning death is a habit that if has in common 

 with all the members of the family to which it belongs, 

 and the "Curculio" family do the very same thing. 



You say it commences about the middle of June with 

 you, first attacking the upper surface of the leaves by 

 eating holes into it, and if not checked increases with the 

 heat of the season until whole acres of leaves are changed 

 into worthless shreds, or become as full of holes as a sieve. 

 Most probably, as with the Flea-beetle of the Grape-vine, 

 it is in the larva slate that it does the principal pait of 

 the damage, and as the larvae of all beetles are altogether 



