CLASSIFICATION AND NOMENCLATURE. 4 1 



CHAPTER VII. 

 CLASSIFICATION AND NOMENCLATURE. 



The education of a naturalist now consists chiefly in learning how to compare. 



— Agassiz. 



1 08. Nomenclature. — ^Before the time of Linnaeus, the 

 method of naming plants and animals was a subject of much 

 embarrassment to science, and gave rise to endless confusion. 

 This great author, justly called the " Father of Botany," intro- 

 duced a new system of nomenclature that gave an impetus to 

 the study of nature. His system has since been in constant use, 

 and has made possible the greater accuracy and definiteness in 

 the descriptions of subsequent naturalists. He also introduced 

 a system of classification which, though artificial and since 

 abandoned, paved the way to the more natural system since 

 adopted. He arranged the various plants and animals known 

 to him in a few groups according to some particular plan of 

 structure, divided these into still smaller groups, and so on to 

 the lowest divisions, genera and species. To these divisions 

 special names were assigned, thus giving to each organism a 

 double name, the ^x'sX goieric, which may be likened to our fam- 

 ily name, ihe other specific, corresponding to our baptismal 

 name. Thus the " golden-back" of California bears the name 

 Gyimiog7-amine triatigiilaris given it by Kaulf uss. The first it 

 bears in common with other species from this and other coun- 

 tries which possess a like fructification. The latter is peculiar to 

 this species, which has a somewhat triangular frond. 



1 09. Generic Names. — These may be derived from some 

 characteristic of growth or structure (Cj-yptogramme, CJieilaii- 

 thes, SchizcEo), in honor of some botanist or distinguished patron 

 of science {Dicksonia, Woodsia), or occasionally from some 

 mythological or symbolical character (Osmunda). 



1 1 O. Specific Names. — These are usually adjective ele- 

 ments either Latin or Latinized, and must agree in gender with 



