234 Miscellaneous. 



1. On the Date of Dr. Gray's "Synopsis of the Genera and Species 

 of Statyishes." 



There is considerable difference as to whether the date of publica- 

 tion of this paper was 1840 or 1841 ; nearly half the writers on the 

 subject, and among them one of the most careful — Dr. Norman — 

 write 1841 ; as a matter of fact both parts of the paper were pub- 

 lished in this Journal in 1840, the first half in November, the second 

 in December. 



2. Hippasterias phrygiana. 



The name equestris must not be applied to this species ; Linnaeus 

 in both the tenth (p. 662) and twelfth (p. 1100) editions of the 

 Syst. Nat. quotes figures from Linck which are representations of at 

 least two species ; it is necessary therefore to decide by the other 

 figures, namely that from Barrelier ('Icones Plantarum,' 1714, 

 fig. 1285), which is first quoted, and that from Seba (Thes. iii. pi. viii. 

 figs. 6 and 8) ; both these are illustrations of an Astropecten. More- 

 over Linnaeus gives as habitat the Mediterranean, whence the Astro- 

 pecten might well come, but the Goniaster not. 



3. The Use of the Generic Name Palmipes. 



Nothing perhaps illustrates better the inconvenience caused by 

 those who refuse to acknowledge the very reasonable convention that 

 the names of our genera and species are to be based on Linnaeus's 

 ' Systema Naturae,' and that pre-Linnean names are not to be used, 

 than the name Palmipes. 



In 1834 Nardo distinctly indicated (' Isis,' col. 716) what he 

 meant by Anseropoda, and Agassiz in 1835 (Mem. Soc. Neuchatel, 

 i. p. 192) wrote "Palmipes, Link (Palmasterie, De Bl. ; Anseropoda, 

 Nardo)." Agassiz quotes " P. membranaceus, Link," but gives no 

 reference ; Mr. Sladen, however (Chall. Rep., Ast. p. 393), writes 

 "Palmipes membranaceus, Linck, 1733, De Stellis marinis, p. 29, 

 pi. i. no. 2 ; " but no such words ocour in the copy of Linck which 

 I have now before me ; in fact the pre-Linneans have to write in 

 their " specific " names from such sentences as "Stella Cartilaginea, 

 Aldrovandi, p. 743, malo dicere membranaceam," and so on ; while 

 the description of the figure runs — " Stella quinquefida Palmipes seu 

 Cartilaginea, Aid." Will Mr. Sladen tell us what part of the last 

 sentence contains the specific and which the generic name ? 



In his defence of the use of Linckian names Mr. Sladen speaks of 

 those who " still adhere to the letter rather than the spirit of this 

 canon of name-priority ; " but in his ardour he has forgotten that he 

 has no mandate from Linck to ascribe to him words that he never 

 used or collocations which he never made. 



And as to the question of priority, surely it is, save only as regards 

 fixity of nomenclature, what Darwin called a trumpery affair ; but 

 if priority is to be pressed by the pre-Linneans, why do they neglect 

 our groat countryman Lluyd, and why do they not follow Miiller 



