A LEARNED INDIVIDUAL. 



If you read French you will probably be amused as I was when I ran across 

 the following title page in purchasing books in Paris. I had not the^ pleasure 

 of an acquaintance with Dr. Hussenot. but judging from the number of "learned' 1 

 Societies of which he was not a member, he seems to have been a pretty smart 

 fellow. 



Chardons Nauceiens, 



on 

 Prodrome 



d'un 



Catalogue des Plantes 

 de la Lorraine. 



ler fascicule 



Par le Uocteur Hussenot. 



Qui n'est rieti ; pas rnme medicin : niembre d'aiicnne acad.; 

 corresp. d'aucune soc. savante ; qui n'est ni de la soc. 

 royale des sciences, lettres et art de Nancy ; ni de 

 la soc. cent, d'agricnlt. de la inline ville: pas 

 plus de la soc. d'emulation des Vosges que de 

 celle philomathique de Verdun, ou d'aucune 

 decellesde Metz: directeur d'aucun jar- 

 din public ou particulier; conservateur 

 d'aucune collection, autre que la 

 sienne, qui se mange des btes ; 

 redacteurde rien du tout; en- 

 fin, simple citoyen comme 

 tout le monde hors qu'il 

 n'est pas decore 1 . 



NOMENCLATURE. 



The following letter is from one of the leading mycologists of the United 

 States, but I do not give his name as I do not wish to draw him into a discus- 

 sion of the subject : 



"Please accept my thanks for yours of the 15th instant naming the Calvatia 

 sent you, and also for another of your printed letters, this time No. 10. I am 

 not sure that you can introduce a system of nomenclature that will gain general 

 adoption, but I do believe there is 'a great deal of sense in what you say con- 

 cerning this subject. The attempt to make priority the decisive thing in regard 

 to the selection of names can never work well in regard to the names of fungi, 

 whatever we may say of the method as applied to the nomenclature of flowering 

 plants. I am sure, too, you pursue the correct method in trying to determine 

 what the names of European origin mean. 



"I hope you will find sufficient encouragement to warrant you in devoting 

 your time and opportunities to the matter. We are all interested in your suc- 

 cess." 



I am not trying to "introduce a system of nomenclature that will gain gen- 

 eral adoption." I quit indulging in day dreams years ago. I am only trying to 

 show the advantage of using the names that are of value from historical truth 

 and from general use. And I believe, if mycological writers in general would 

 rely on these principles alone in the selection of names, it would only be a short 

 time until we should be in practical accord. There is an "if" in that sentence, 

 however, that has a great deal of bearing on it. Before we can hope to have 

 authors adopt names solely on their merits, the personal advertisements must 

 be eliminated. That will never be done. There are too many men whose inter- 

 est in mycology is chiefly that of getting up "new combinations" or "new nanu>," 

 with this main object in view. They will never consent to have the "reward of 

 their labor" taken away. And as long as it is so easy to shuffle names :il><mt 

 and obtain this "reward" it will be done. 



346 



