1. 



Before the time of Linnaeus, names were given to insects somewhat indis- 

 criminately, and, not unfrequently, they were but brief descriptions. Thus, 

 Petiver, in 1717, called the Brimstone Butterfly " Papilio sulphureus ; 3> Ray, 

 in 1710, called the Clouded Yellow "Papilio croceus,apicibus nigricantibus" 

 and the Bath White " Papilio leucomelanos Cantabrigiensis ; " Albin, iu 

 1731, called the Black-veined White "Papilio albus venis nigru" So, too, 

 in 1769, Wallis, in his "Antiquities and Natural History of Northumber- 

 land," called the Comma " The brown and gold butterfly with lacinated 

 wings." Linnaeus devised a system of nomenclature that needed but two 

 words for each species. The second of these was the specific, whilst the first 

 showed to what germs the particular species belonged. The Lepidoptera he 

 divided into only three genera : Papilio, Sphinx, and Phaleena. Instead of 

 giving in every instance a fresh set of names, he adopted many from the 

 ancients, such as Gryllo-talpa, from Aristotle, for the Mole-cricket; Cossus, 

 from Pliny, for the Goat Moth; and Polychlorus, from Aldrovandus, for the 

 Large Tortoise-shell Butterfly. 



Between the 10th edition of the " Systema Naturae" and the 12th, appeared 

 the following, viz. : Nicole Poda's " Insecta Musei Graecensis, quae in ordine?* 

 genera et species juxta Systema Naturae Caroli Linnaei digessit," in 1761; 

 Sepp's " Nederlandsche Insecten," commenced in 1762, a beautiful work in 

 which not only the perfect insects, caterpillars, and chrysalides are figured, but 

 also the egj*s ; Scopoli's " Entomologia Carniolica Methoclo Linnaeana," in 

 1763, of which I possess a copy with plates; and Geoffrey's '''Historic Des 

 Insects," in 1764. Geoffroy is principally celebrated as the author of the 

 method generally adopted by modern entomologists, of dividing the Coleoptera 

 into primary sections, according to the number of the joints of their tarsi. 

 His work is further serviceable by indicating many genera not defined by 

 Linnaeus. Scopoli, under the name of Papilio macaronius, has figured and 

 described a Myrmelion, one of the Neuroptera. His specific names also are 

 heavy, and where altered from the Linnaean are mostly altered for the worse. 

 The liberty he has taken in changing names is unworthy of him, and injurious 

 to science. Under the heading of Papilio alexis, he appears to have grouped 

 together two or three distinct species, so that it is impossible to tell to which 

 the name belongs. 



For these and other reasons, the 12th edition of the great work of Linnaeus, 

 the "Systema Naturae," was decided upon for the starting point of our 

 nomenclature. That this decision is wise there should be no doubt. 

 Linnaeus was an exceptionally able man. The binomial system of nomen- 

 clature was but an adjunct to the great scheme of arrangement and order 



