272 AMERICAN JOURNAL 



SCIENTIFIC INTELLIGENCE. 



The extensive collection of Mollusks and Shells made by Dr. 

 Wesley Newcomb, of Oakland, California, has been purchased 

 by Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. The collection con- 

 sists of about 10,000 species, and the price paid, we are in- 

 formed, was $15,000. 



On Nomenclature. — About a year since an International Con- 

 gress of Botanists was held in Paris, for the purpose of revising 

 the rules of nomenclature. The following Articles will interest 

 our readers. 



"Art. 41. The date of a name or of a combination of names 

 is that of its actual and irrevocable publication. 



Art. 42. Publication consists in the sale or the distribution 

 among the public of printed matter, plates, or autographs. It 

 consists, likewise, in the sale or the distribution, among the lead- 

 ing public collections, of numbered specimens, accompanied by 

 printed or autograph tickets bearing the date of the sale or 

 distribution. 



Art. 43. The communication of new names in a public meet- 

 ing, and the placing of names in collections, or in gardens open 

 to the public, do not constitute publication." 



Of course one is bound to respect names attached to speci- 

 mens even when unpublished, as courtesy requires it ; but no 

 such name can have priority over a printed description, unless 

 it can be shown that the author was aware of its having been 

 previously named in MS. by another person. 



It will be seen that the "date of reading," for the purpose of 

 deciding priority of publication, is not acknowledged. 



" Art. 48. For the indication of the name or names of any 

 group, to be accurate and complete, it is necessary to quote the 

 author who first published the name or combination of names in 

 question." 



This decision is very commendable in these days of innovation, 

 when so many naturalists, anxious for the reputation of describ- 

 ing or naming species, place their own names to every species 

 that they may separate from the genus in which it was originally 

 described, instead of affixing to the original author's name the 

 abbreviation of Sp. for species or the name of the genus adopted 

 by him in brackets. The rule might be rendered more plain, thus : 



The name of the author of a species, genus or family shall 

 remain forever attached thereto, and shall be considered a part 

 of the said specific, generic or family name. 



