Dr. J. E. Gray on the Names of the Genus Mystomys. 427 



If the name Potamogale is to be used, it must by every just 

 naturalist be quoted as Potamogale, AH man, as you have charac- 

 terized the genus, and Du Chaillu has not done so. This would 

 be all well, if the genus had not already been characterized, as 

 far as the materials at command would allow, and in a manner 

 which can leave no doubt of the identity of the animal, as it 

 is the only one which has the characters assigned to it. 



If the rules of nomenclature are rigidly adhered to, you are 

 in an untoward dilemma yourself; but I cannot believe that 

 can have any influence on you on this occasion. The paper in 

 which you established and characterized the genus Potamogale 

 w r as read several months ago ; but there was no abstract of the 

 paper including the character of the genus printed in the 'Pro- 

 ceedings/ and the account of the genus which is to appear in 

 the ' Transactions ' of the Society has not been published yet, 

 and may not appear probably until the end of the year; so in 

 fact your character of the genus has not been published even yet. 



In the meantime Dr. Barboza du Bocage has read a paper in 

 which he has described and figured the teeth, and established for 

 it a genus under the name Bayonia. This paper was published 

 in the second part of the 'Proceedings' for the year 1865, 

 p. 401, and therefore it must have priority. The synonyma of 

 the genus will stand thus :— 



J . Cynogale, part, Du Chaillu, 1860. 



2. Mystomys, Gray, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 1861, p. 63. 



3. Bayonia, Dr. Barboza du Bocage, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1865. 



4. Potamogale, Allman, Trans. Zool. Soc. ined. 1865 or 1866. 



From the form of the feet and tail, and also from the simi- 

 larity of the fur to that of Castor and Fiber, I observed that 

 " I suspect that it is a Glirine animal, much more nearly allied 

 to Fiber, Hydromys, and Castor than to any ferine genus." This 

 has turned out to be an unfortunate suspicion, the fur being as 

 like that of the aquatic Insectivore Galemys, which did not at the 

 instant occur to me, as it is to that of the aquatic Glires. 



Prom this observation I have been accused of referring the 

 genus to Glires*. Perhaps the name 1 adopted may have had 

 something to do with this mistake; I only said " I suspect" 

 it might be one. But I used the Greek for Mouse as we use it 

 in English : thus we call a Bat Fluttermouse, a Marsupial 

 Opossum Mouse, and, more bearing on the question, several 

 Insectivores Shrewmouse, Elephant Mouse, Hopping-mouse, and 

 Musk-rat; and no one that I am aware of has objected to 

 the names of Hylomys, Temm. (a Mole), Echinomys, Licht. 

 (the Elephant Shrew), and especially Myogale or Myogalea or 



* "M. Gray pour un Rongeur," Proc. Zool. Soc. 1865, p. -102. 



