INTRODUCTION. xlv 



badge an old Synonym. The case of 

 Hypericum Androsaemum is analogous to 

 that of Achillea Millefolium. So far this 

 is all in ordinary course. But the plant 

 which the Greeks called Hypericum alias 

 Androsseraum had also a herbahst's name 

 — Perforatum. This name expressed so 

 peculiar and constant a feature of the 

 leaves of this Genus that under Canon 

 23 it might have had a claim to be the 

 generic name, only then it forfeits this 

 claim as being an adjective according to 

 the terms of Canon 20. This Synonym then 

 with pretensions so good has with doubtful 

 propriety sunk into a private badge writ- 

 ten without a capital initial, as if it were 

 but a trivial term. Certainly it is attached 

 to that species which has the transparent 

 leaf-glands very conspicuous, but being 

 written as if it were a private epithet of 

 this species, it is rather misleading and 

 obscures the important fact that this per- 

 foration is no specific peculiarity but a 

 pervading generic feature. 



Since Linnaaus, great progress has been 

 made in natural classification after the 



