98 NOMENCLATURE. 



parative names are often appropriate ; but those expressive of size, as maximus, 

 minor, and minimus, are too frequently rendered inaccurate by after discoveries, and 

 are therefore objectionable. 



Both generic and specific names derived from persons engaged in palseontological 

 pursuits are very appropriate. Names of harsh and inelegant pronunciation ought 

 to be avoided, as also words of too great length or having more than five syllables. 



Generic names may be compounded from other genera to express the position of 

 the genus as intermediate to or allied with two other genera, care being taken not to 

 adopt such as are of too great length, and not to corrupt them in trying to render 

 them shorter. Aviculopecten and Avieulopinna are examples of the appropriate use 

 of compound words, notwithstanding their length, while Tellinomya is more fanciful 

 than real, and yet not to be discarded. 



In compounding words all the radical or essential parts of the constituent mem- 

 bers must be retained, and no change made except in the variable terminations. 

 Words coined at random, or without any derivation or meaning, will not be recognized. 



The names of genera are in all cases essentially substantive, and hence ad- 

 jective terms can not be employed for them without doing violence to grammar ; for 

 instance, Anomaloides proposed as a generic name must be disregarded. The same 

 may be said of names in the genitive case, which are wholly inadmissible, without 

 reformation. 



FORMATION OF NAMES. 

 



The generic name always begins with a capital letter, the specific name with a 

 small initial letter, even when derived from person or place. The generic name is a 

 noun, while the specific name has the force of an adjective. The specific name is 

 in no instance a proper noun, but' all species are equal, and should therefore be 

 written alike. It is a violation of a plain rule of grammar to write a specific name 

 with a capital letter ; beside, there is an advantage in obeying the rule, for by so do- 

 ing the eye at a glance distinguishes specific from generic names. 



The generic name retains the gender which belongs to it in the language from 

 which it is taken. Where no change is made in the termination of the last word 

 in a generic name, the gender of that word determines the gender of the genus. 

 Thus ceras, nema, stoma, and desma are in the Greek of the neuter gender, and con- 

 sequently all genera ending with these words, such as Orthoceras, Loxonema, Phrag- 

 mostoma, Lyrodesma, are neuter. 



In defining a new genus the etymology should be given, and a species 

 should be selected as the type. There is no excuse for neglecting these rules, 

 except that the author is incapable of giving the etymology of his proposed generic 

 name, and is not sufficiently confident of his definition to dare venture to rely 

 upon one of his species as the type. 



When a generic name is derived from the name of a person, it is stripped of 

 all titles and preliminary particles, reduced to the genitive case, and the letter a 

 is appended, thus taking on a feminine form. The following examples illustrate 

 the method, viz.: Names, Brun, Bruni, Bruno, Brunus, Bruna, Brune, Bruuy. 

 Generic form, Brunia, Bruniia, Brunoia, Brunusia, Brunrea, Brunia, Brunyia. Y at 

 the end of a word of one syllable is treated as a consonant, as Quoy, Quoyia ; Gay, 

 Gayia ; and mute e final becomes i, or is dropped entirely, as Perouse, Perousia. 



