CHAPTER II 



THE SPOTTED LARINUS 



T ARINUS is a vague term, which cannot 

 *-' teach us anything. The word sounds 

 well. It is something not to afflict the ear 

 with raucous spittings; but the prentice 

 reader wants more than this. He expects 

 the name to give him, in euphonious syllables, 

 a brief description of the insect named. 

 This would help to guide him in the midst of 

 the vast multitude. 



I cordially agree with him, while recogni- 

 zing what an arduous task it would be to de- 

 vise a rational nomenclature that would give 

 the beasts the forenames and surnames which 

 they deserve. Our ignorance condemns us to 

 be vague and often nonsensical. Let us con- 

 sider a case in point. 



What does Larinus mean? The Greek 



lexicon tells us : Aapivos, fatty, fat. Has the 



insect which is the subject of this chapter 



any right to such a description ? Not at all. 



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