INTRODUCTION. xli 



several new ones^ the name will remain 

 with the species that is best known. 



31. The names of both classes and 

 orders must always consist of a single 

 word, and not of sentences.' 



Let us endeavour to trace under the 

 new system the destination of the old 

 traditional names. The first obvious fact 

 is this, that the old traditional synonymies 

 supplied the material for the new names 

 (Canon 26). Hardly any of the Generic 

 names in British Botany but belong to the 

 old historical nomenclature. But now it 

 will be readily seen that this work of 

 genus-building would often embrace under 

 the shadow of one honoured name a 

 number of plants which had no previous 

 connection with that name. And this 

 seemed like a danger, because the glory of 

 ancient botany and its stronghold lay 

 in the prominence given to certain plants 

 which were generally useful in medicine, 

 and which for their notoriety were con- 

 venient standards for comparison and veri- 

 fication. It seemed a pity so completely 

 to break with antiquity as by a general 

 d 



