﻿Dr. 
  J. 
  Chester 
  Bradley 
  on 
  the 
  genera 
  of 
  Hymenoptera. 
  51 
  

  

  because 
  of 
  its 
  inaccessibility 
  and 
  limited 
  circulation. 
  It 
  

   involves, 
  however, 
  the 
  status 
  of 
  many 
  long-used 
  genera 
  of 
  

   Hymenoptera, 
  and 
  consequently 
  its 
  treatment 
  is 
  of 
  much 
  

   importance 
  to 
  all 
  students 
  of 
  that 
  order. 
  

  

  The 
  work 
  of 
  Morice 
  and 
  Durrant 
  is 
  both 
  scholarly 
  and 
  

   laborious. 
  They 
  have 
  placed 
  all 
  Hymenopterists 
  in 
  their 
  

   debt. 
  It 
  is 
  far 
  from 
  my 
  intentions 
  to 
  belittle 
  or 
  criticise 
  

   capriciously 
  any 
  part 
  of 
  it. 
  They 
  have, 
  however, 
  followed 
  

   consistently 
  certain 
  methods 
  of 
  determining 
  the 
  types 
  and 
  

   status 
  of 
  the 
  genera 
  which 
  do 
  not 
  appear 
  to 
  me 
  to 
  be 
  in 
  

   accordance 
  with 
  the 
  mandates 
  of 
  the 
  International 
  Code 
  of 
  

   Zoological 
  Nomenclature 
  and 
  its 
  official 
  interpretation 
  as 
  

   expressed 
  in 
  the 
  published 
  Opinions 
  of 
  the 
  International 
  

   Commission 
  on 
  Zoological 
  Nomenclature 
  (1910-1916).* 
  

  

  I 
  wish 
  to 
  express 
  my 
  sincere 
  thanks 
  to 
  the 
  Rev. 
  Mr. 
  

   Morice, 
  who 
  has 
  taken 
  the 
  pains 
  to 
  write 
  to 
  me 
  at 
  length 
  

   his 
  views 
  on 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  points 
  considered 
  in 
  this 
  paper, 
  

   and 
  has 
  expressed 
  opinions 
  in 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  in 
  nearly 
  every 
  

   instance 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  concur, 
  materially 
  modifying 
  my 
  

   original 
  conclusions, 
  in 
  several 
  instances, 
  especially 
  in 
  

   regard 
  to 
  Ceropales 
  and 
  to 
  Bremus. 
  

  

  Inasmuch 
  as 
  the 
  results 
  arrived 
  at 
  by 
  Morice 
  and 
  Durrant 
  

   concern 
  many 
  fundamental 
  genera 
  of 
  Hymenoptera, 
  it 
  has 
  

   seemed 
  to 
  me 
  worth 
  while, 
  in 
  fact 
  absolutely 
  necessary, 
  to 
  

   revise 
  their 
  work 
  in 
  accordance 
  with 
  the 
  Code 
  and 
  its 
  

   official 
  interpretation. 
  There 
  may 
  be 
  a 
  few 
  instances 
  where 
  

   the 
  interpretation 
  is 
  in 
  doubt, 
  but 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  cases 
  are 
  

   clear-cut, 
  and 
  follow 
  directly 
  from 
  the 
  acceptance 
  of 
  certain 
  

   premises. 
  

  

  * 
  While 
  zoologists 
  are 
  under 
  no 
  legal 
  restraint 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  

   names 
  that 
  they 
  adopt, 
  there 
  are 
  many 
  who 
  feel, 
  with 
  the 
  author, 
  

   that 
  the 
  only 
  possible 
  hope 
  for 
  ultimate 
  stabiUty 
  and 
  uniformity 
  

   of 
  practice 
  is 
  to 
  follow 
  absolutely 
  the 
  Liternational 
  Code 
  and 
  its 
  

   official 
  interpretation, 
  totally 
  regardless 
  of 
  all 
  personal 
  predilections. 
  

   Personally, 
  the 
  author 
  is 
  disposed 
  to 
  take 
  exception 
  to 
  the 
  reason- 
  

   ableness 
  of 
  certain 
  of 
  these 
  interpretations, 
  especially 
  Opinion 
  46, 
  

   which 
  is 
  one 
  that 
  is 
  the 
  cause 
  of 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  dissensions 
  herein- 
  

   after 
  made 
  from 
  the 
  conclusions 
  of 
  Morice 
  and 
  Durrant. 
  But 
  after 
  

   all, 
  uniformity 
  of 
  practice 
  is 
  the 
  cliief 
  desideratum. 
  We 
  shall 
  never 
  

   all 
  agree 
  as 
  to 
  what 
  is 
  reasonable. 
  However 
  much 
  we 
  may 
  feel 
  

   that 
  the 
  Liternational 
  Commission 
  is 
  not 
  rejiresentative, 
  or 
  may 
  

   be 
  inchned 
  to 
  dispute 
  the 
  source 
  of 
  its 
  authority, 
  there 
  is 
  nothing 
  

   more 
  representative 
  with 
  which 
  to 
  replace 
  it, 
  notliing 
  that 
  is 
  con- 
  

   stituted 
  with 
  even 
  an 
  approach 
  to 
  as 
  great 
  an 
  authority. 
  The 
  

   decisions 
  having 
  once 
  been 
  made, 
  it 
  is 
  to 
  the 
  interests 
  of 
  us 
  all 
  that 
  

   they 
  be 
  followed 
  implicitly. 
  

  

  