Q2 Correspondence. I Jw>. 



think it is some new kind of a tape-worm, and advise you to go and see a 

 doctor right awav- But if you wish to talk about that particular animal, 

 you must use that name or none ; for it seems as if the author and finisher 

 of that new subspecies forgot to say whether it was a California Badger, 

 or simplv a Neglected Badger. ?"vidently the latter would now be the 

 most appropriate name for it. 



1 complain because in the matter of nomenclature the general public 

 does not always get a show at the thing described. I complain also, 

 incidentally, because nearly all our investigators have decided that in the 

 matter of measurements they will do precisely as the French and German 

 naturalists desire, — discard English inches and hundredths thereof, and 

 follow the French metric system only. It is a case of the tail wagging 

 the dog. It would be just as fair to the 120,000,000 of English readers, — 

 tiot more than about 1200 of whom care one rap for the metric system, — 

 to go full length, and write descriptions in a foreign language also; for 

 with both names and measurements in foreign form, the description 

 itself is often quite worthless so far as ordinary mortals are concerned. 



Standing as I do, outside the charmed circle, yet somewhat in touch 

 with the general public, — which most of our scientific investigators 

 unhappily arc not, — I have been moved to state how these things strike a 

 private in the ranks. It seems to me it is the imperative duty of every 

 author who has ever given us a new species of mammal or bird without a 

 good, distinctive English name, to confess his sins, and make good every 

 such deficiency without loss of time. I would like to see the next number 

 of 'The Auk ' contain a full list of what is now lacking in mammalian 

 names. Of coin-se. any one sufiiciently interested, whether a Latin 

 scholar or not, can take a Latin dictionary, find out what a strange Latin 

 name means, and then select an English equivalent to suit himself. But 

 that is clearly inadmissible. The author of the species is the only proper 

 person to select and bestow upon it an English name. If a fair amount 

 of thought and originality is given to the selection of a popular name, 

 the chances are that it will be sharply distinctive, easy to remember, and, 

 in a vast majority- of cases, just as useful to English-speaking naturalists 

 as any machine-made Latin name. 



\'ery respectfully. 



W. T. HORNAUAY. 



Buffalo, N. r., 

 Oct., iSg4. 



