Zoological Writings of Rafinesque. 283 
gy; asa great part of his American new species" belong to these 
genera, and to Julus; genera with which every one is familiar. 
The remainder of the ‘* Précis” is taken up (except the botanical 
portion) with new species of Cephalopoda, worms, and Z00- 
phytes. 
Principes fondamentaux de Somsalogie ou les diols de la No- 
Ea etc. “'T'he Laws are necessarily familiar to all pro- 
fessed naturalists; but we have never before met with so wel- 
come a digest of. them. Somiology is designed to express the 
Science of organized bodies in one word, and seems derived from 
soma, a body, and logos, a discourse ; and, without it, two must 
be used, as Zoology, and Phytology or Botany.”* French is re- 
commended as the language of Natural History, instead of Latin. 
Another rule should have been added, viz. when a new species 
is characterized, which has nothing to enable one to recognize the 
description as belonging to a distinct species, it becomes necessa- 
ry to state wherein it differs from an allied and well known spe- 
cies. 
Specchio delle Scienze, §e.,2v. 8vo., Palermo, 1814. This 
work was published monthly for one year, when it was discon- 
tinued, for the want of sufficient support ; a fate which has befall- 
en all the periodical works of this author. He even states that 
the last number was detained by the printer, although indebted 
to him, but he must afterwards have succeeded in getting it, as we 
possess it. There area number of zoological articles in it, among 
which are descriptions of two new genera of fish, histo and 
Nemochirus. Osservazioni microscopiche,t are principally devoted 
to new species of Infusoria. An article on the Sicilian Phocide, 
Sives five species under four genera, retaining the Linnean name 
for “ P, Vitulina,’’ under which name several species have been 
* Loudon’s Mag. V,76. These laws are not well known, or we would not have 
80 many barbarous names imposed upon the science from day to day. Our author 
Was particularly happy in his nomenclature, for which he ten the gratitude 
of all natu ralists. Barbarous names, he says, should be expunged; such as Messer- 
midia, Hoffmansegga, Krascheninikofia, etc. We protest, however, against the 
injustice of crediting a genus to an author who has merely varied a name from 
its 0 original eee as Lepidosteus, Agass., instead of Lacépéde, who named this ge- 
nus Lepisostens. If Agassiz is to have the genus, the species follow of course; 
and a rule Siods leads to such a result, must be * Ise, 
t Arthrodia, anew genus of ae seems to be identical with Oscillatoria. 
We do not pretend to determine the right of ety , between Rafinesque and other 
authors, in the instances cited in this articl 
