I 



I 



CONSTRUCTION OF SYSTEMATIC NAMES IN PALAEONTOLOGY. xi 



— ensia. This is a Latin termination, expressive of locality, and can- 

 not, therefor^, be correctly employed except as an affix to the name of a 

 place. This rule has been traversed in few real, but in many apparent 

 instances. Lingula morsensis is an illustration of the former. In accord- 

 ance with law this has been changed to L. morsi^ being given in honor 

 of Mr. Morse. Zygospira cincinnatiensis^ Pupa vermilionenais^ Car- 

 dium napoleonense^ Athyris hannihalensis are apparent exceptions; but 

 these terms are formed from words, which, though originally personal or 

 trivial, have now become local names, and consequently no valid objection 

 can be raised against them. In using this termination the following 

 rules have been generally followed, and are therefore adopted here. 

 The exceptions are very few, and have been reduced into conformity : 

 1st. If the name of the place ends in a consonant the termination is 

 annexed to the word, as Clinton^ clintonensis. 2d. If the name ends in 

 a or 6, these letters are dropped and the termination then annexed, as 

 Canada^ canadensis; Nebraslta^ nehrascensis ; Minnesota^ minnesotensis; 

 lowa^ iowensis; Indiana^ indianensis; Lasalle^ lasallensis; Erie^ eri- 

 ensis. 3rd. If the name ends in ^, o or -w, that vowel is retained, as 

 Mississippi^ mississippiensis ; Missouri^ missouriensis ; Chicago ^ chi- 

 cagoensis; Colorado^ color ado ensis; Chouteau^ chouteauensis. 4th. If 

 the name ends in y, that letter becomes i upon the addition of the termi- 

 nation, as Kentucky^ hentucMensis ; Alleghany^ alleghaniensis ; in accord- 

 ance with classic usage, as Sicily^ siciliensis. 



— i. The termination i is to be considered a mere indication of the 

 Latin genitive case, and custom, rather than correctness, has, in some 

 sense, legalized its addition to any name. In practice, however, it is 

 almost restricted to proper names. Thus we have Knighti^ Littoni^ 

 Flemingi^ Ivesi. The Kule of the British Association on this matter 

 runs thus: "In Latinizing proper names, the simplest rule seems to be 

 to use the termination us^ genitive ^, when the name ends with a conso- 

 nant, and ius^ gen. ^^, when it ends with a vowel." 



— icus. This Greek termination implies resemblance and may be 

 added to common names, under the same rules as those given for — ensis., 

 except that in forming the word, a vowel is suppressed if it would pre- 

 cede the termination; thus, Macedon^ macedonicus ; Italy (ia), italicus. 

 It is little used, except in words already existing, as ellipticus, and, 

 therefore, needs no further notice. 



— eus. This Latin termination has been occasionally employed, but 

 as it implies "made of," it is evidently seldom, if ever, admissible in palae- 

 ontology. The term ehoraceus^ from ehoracum^ the Latin name for 

 York, is a misnomer and should have been ehoracensis. 



— idae. This Greek patronymic has come into general use as a con- 

 venient termination to express the resemblance running through a 

 family. 



B. It is recommended that the assemblages of genera, termed families, should be uni- 

 formly named, by adding the termination idse to the name of the earliest known, or most 

 typically characterized genus in them ; and that their subdivisions, termed mbfamilies^ 



