SOME SUGGESTED RULES TO GOVERN 

 ENTOMOLOGICAL PUBLICATIONS. 



By T. D. A. Cockerell. 



Many years ago in England, I captured a rather uncommon 

 hemipterous insect, and sent a record of it to a well-known 

 entomological journal. The editor, being a lepidopterist, had 

 never heard of the bug, but did know of a very rare moth hav- 

 ing the specific name (bicolor) employed. He accordingly 

 changed the generic name to that of the moth, and I found 

 myself the astonished recorder of an insect I had never seen 

 alive, nor hoped to see. More recently I communicated to a 

 publication in this country a short paper on a supposed new 

 plant of the genus Ribes. The editor, not liking the title, 

 substituted "A New Currant from Arizona," whereas the plant 

 was a gooseberry, and was from New Mexico. These rather 

 amusing instances are cited merely to illustrate the indisputable 

 fact that it is risky for an editor to interfere with the contri- 

 butions he publishes. On the other hand,. I have been shown 

 manuscripts sent in for publication which, if printed exactly 

 as received, would be simply unintelligible. The editor is in a 

 difficult position, and as a rule, I think the contributors have 

 little reason to feel otherwise than grateful for the treatment 

 they receive; it is at least not rarely better than they deserve. 



Although I am against editorial alterations in manuscripts, 

 I think it may be entirely proper to adopt some simple rules to 

 be enforced in every case, the papers which fail to conform 

 being returned to their authors for correction. As entomologi- 

 cal editors appear to have no such rules, with the exception of 

 a few relating to typography, it occurs to me that the Entomo- 

 logical Society might properly discuss and adopt a set, pressing 

 them upon the attention of editors with such authority as it 

 may be considered to possess. As the result of a little private 

 correspondence, I believe it would be easier to get all the editors 

 together to agree upon certain things, than to persuade them 

 individually to take the desired step. I cannot do more than 

 present a suggestive > outline, which may be discussed and 

 amended as necessary. 



(1) When a new genus is described, the type species must be 

 stated; it may be as well to add, that the binomial made by 

 combining the generic name with the specific name of the type 

 species must be printed. 



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