Nomenclature of Ecliinoids. ! 23 



should determine, group by group, what names are entitled 

 to respect and should therefore be protected from the attacks 

 of the revisers of nomenclature. 



In a recently published paper ( u Some common Crinoid 

 Names, and the Fixation of Nomenclature " *) Dr. F. A. 

 Bather comes to the same result, that it will be necessary to 

 protect some of the common and more important names, and 

 suggests that " those zoologists who wish to protect certain 

 names should lay the complete facts of the case before the 

 Nomenclature Committee of the International Zoological 

 Congress, and should accompany their request for the reten- 

 tion of certain definite names in defiance of the Rules by the 

 signatures of as many workers on the group affected as they 

 can obtain. Due announcement of the proposed step should be 

 made in certain widely circulated journals, and a reasonable 

 time should be allowed for the reception of protests. The 

 Committee should ultimately give its decision, and this decision 

 should be published in the aforesaid journals/' And further- 

 details are given as to the practical arrangement of the matter, 

 about which I may refer to the paper quoted. 



It may, lastly, be mentioned that Mr. Frank Springer has 

 recently made a practical trial to secure the name Encrinus, 

 sending a circular about the history of that name to a large 

 number of working zoologists and palaeontologists, and asking 

 their opinion on the question. The result of this interesting- 

 trial has not yet been published. 



I myself, in 1907 ('IngolP Echinoidea, ii. p. 176), made 

 a proposal similar to that now set forth in a more detailed 

 way by Dr. Bather. I there wrote, in regard chiefly to the 

 names of Echinoids : — " I think there is only one way to get 

 out of this almost insupportable condition of the nomenclature, 

 viz., if all the echinologists of the present time meet to form 

 an international committee, and come to an agreement 

 regarding all the names of Echinoidea, one by one, and 

 then publish a complete list of all the names finally adopted, 

 with their synonyms and complete history." Some still older 

 proposals tending in the same direction as those maintained 

 above are recorded in the papers quoted by Dr. Bather and 

 Mr. Boulenger. 



It is evident that there is a fast-growing opinion among 

 zoologists that something should be done in this direction. 

 That I for my part most heartily agree with this need scarcely 

 be said. But I may be permitted to make a few remarks on 

 some phases of the question. It may first be maintained 



* Ann. .Sc Mag. Nat. Hist. scr. 8, iv. 1909, p. 37. 



