478 Dr. C. St&l on the British Museum 



lished some synonymieal notes l>y Dr. Signoret upon the Tettigonidcs 

 and Cercopides described by Mr. Walker in the Museum Catalogues. 

 It becomes my duty to furnish to entomologists of all countries some 

 examples of the many errors into -which this author has fallen : my 

 conscientious regard for English entomologists, and respect for their 

 scientific knowledge, induces me to publish my remarks in an English 

 journal. 



The first remark that I have to make is respecting the nomencla- 

 ture of the author. It is ever disagreeable to meet with names badly 

 constructed and in no way appropriate ; however, I should not have 

 stopped at this matter, if the descriptive and scientific parts of the 

 papers had had any value at all. Why hundreds of times use such 

 terms as basimactda, dorsimacida, quadrimacula, rufi-fascia, albivitta, 

 dorslsigna, flavisigna , b'tplaga, bifascia, unifascia, midtifascia, lati- 

 vltta, brevivitta, multistriga, &c., when the usual and correct term is 

 basl-maculata, dorso-maculata, quadrimacidata , rufo-fasciata, albo- 

 uittata, biplagiata, midtistrigata, &c. ; or such names as basisteUa, 

 eilinea, speicarina, albiplana, biconica, basiflamma, anmdivena, 

 titfacies, basispes, flosfolice, <fcc., composed of words each having a 

 Ugnification, but which when compounded into one word have no 

 rJgnification that can be understood? When Linne named and 

 described a Cicada septemdechn, he had good reason for so doing, 

 and every one who knows the history and habits of that species will 

 acknowledge the name to be good and appropriate ; but when Mr. 

 Walker calls a species Dundubia duarum (! ! !), and another Dandubia 

 decern (!), every one will be only perplexed, and ask why the species 

 were not called secunda and decima, names which, if not at all cha- 

 racteristic, can at least be understood, and which will not be con- 

 sidered completely absurd. 



Now, first, because the terminology is often very obscure and to 

 be condemned, and secondly, because the author shows an entire 

 want of knowledge of the first principles of the system, it is very 

 often almost impossible to understand, and quite impossible to make 

 any use at all of his papers. It is the first and most essential duty 

 of a descriptive author to make himself acquainted with the scientific 

 terminology ; and if unhappily this rule is not followed out in all 

 cases, still such occasional occurrences are pardonable, and generally 

 of minor value, and are not to be compared with those to be met 

 with in the works of Mr. Walker. It will be sufficient for me to 

 give as illustrations terms that are strictly mathematical, and so well 

 known and understood in common life, that it would appear ridiculous 

 in any one not to comprehend their signification ; but even such arc 



