THE BIOLOGY OF THE ALDER FLEA-BEETLE. 277 



with the designation "Saltatoriae femoribus posticis crassissimis" 

 (p. 3/3). Each species under this heading is described as "Mor- 

 della etc." and it is possibly this fact that accounts for Geoffroy's 

 statement, but more probably it is because in the 1756 edition 

 the flea-beetles are evidently included under Mordella, which is 

 characterized as "Antennae filiformes, ultimo globoso. Pedes 

 saepe saltatorii". But in 1758 and all of the later editions Mor- 

 della is used by Linnaeus for Coleoptera very distinct from the 

 flea-beetles. 



Finally, GeofFroy was also mistaken in saying that Altica 

 was derived from the Latin. It is really derived from a Greek 

 word, uAriKos, a leaper. As in Greek "h" is not a letter but is 

 represented only by an asper, this omission of the "h" was a 

 not unnatural error. 



Illiger (1802) pointed out the proper derivation and cor- 

 rected the speling. In his list of insect genera, we find : "Haltica- 

 ae f Flohkafer. dAriKos, zum Springen geschikkt. Nicht 

 Altica." (p. 138). But this emendation cannot stand, for by 

 Article 19 of the International Code : "The original orthography 

 of a name is to be preserved unless an error of transcription, a 

 lapsus calami, or a typographical error is evident" we must 

 return to the first spelling, Altica. Hoffman (1803) also emended 

 the spelling to Haltica, apparently independently (Chapius 1875, 

 p. 16: the writer has not had access -to Hoffman's paper). In 

 this connection it is interesting to note the opinion of Allard 

 (1860) who wrote long before the Code was drawn up : "It seems 

 to me that the orthography of the word should be determined 

 by priority, and since Geoff roy in 1762 and Fourcroy in 1785 

 wrote it with an 'A', with Latreille we must respect their right 

 of invention and omit the 'H' " (p. 41). 



It is unfortunate that it is necessary to make any change in 

 the name of a genus so important, so \vell-known, and so firmly 

 established as "Haltica" , but the change is such a slight one that 

 there should but little confusion result. It is obvious that all of 

 the larger groups of which Altica is the type genus must be 

 changed in a corresponding fashion, Halticini to Alticini, Halticae 

 to Alticae etc. 



The English and German authors as a whole adopted the 

 emended spelling as soon as it was proposed. The French how- 

 ever clung to the old spelling for many years. "Haltica" is the 



