64 NATURAL HISTORY OP INSECTS. 



ivings}, as Coleoptera, Ttiptera, etc.; while the names of the 

 Families terminate in idte (meaning like or similar) as Carab- 

 idse, Bupresticke, etc. 



In writing the scientific or technical name of an insect, the 

 generic name, or name of the genus, is written first, followed 

 by its specific name, or name of the species; attached to this is 

 usually the name of the person who first named and described 

 the species; and if any person named and described the same 

 species afterward, the second name is called a synonym of the 

 name given it by its first describer. In some cases it happened 

 that the first describer of a species did place it in the wrong 

 genus; but when the species is afterward assigned to its 

 proper genus, the name of its first describer (and not the 

 name of the person who first referred it to its proper genus), 

 must still be attached to the specific name. In cases of this 

 kind most writers of the present day enclose the name of the 

 first describer in a parenthesis.- The following example will 

 serve to illustrate this practice. 



(Generic name.) (Specific name.) (First describer.) 

 PHILAMPELIS ACHEMON (Drury) 



c, (Sphinx achemon. Drury. 



oynonvms <o r r\ 



(sphinx crantor, Cramer. 



This insect was first described by Mr. Drury, who named it 

 Sphinx achemon, but as it belongs to the genus Philampelis 

 instead of to Sphinx, i, is now known as Philampelis achemon 

 (Drury). A few years after Mr. Drury had described it, Mr. 

 Cramer supposing it to be an undescribed species, described it 

 under the name of Sphinx crantor, which thus became a 

 synonym of the name given this insect by Mr. Drury. 



