286 Proceedings of the Royal Physical Society. 



devising names not preoccupied is immense. If, then, a 

 person with a good musical ear invents a nicely sounding word 

 of classical form, surely it is as good as some cacophonous 

 "jawbreaker," whatever be its derivation. Here my feeling 

 is that a name is a name, and nothing else. 



Another rule or recommendation in the first set of rules of 

 1842, to which I must take exception, though after all the 

 matter is not one of very vital importance, is that all specific 

 names whatever, even if derived from persons or places, must 

 be written with a small initial letter. I thoroughly fail to 

 appreciate the use or advantage of this, even for the reasons 

 given by the committee, and it does look very ridiculous to 

 an eye accustomed to proper names being spelt with a capital 

 in all European languages, to meet with such a form as 

 Ayhi'ocallistes hocagei, after Professor Bocage. Although by 

 the revision of 1865, this rule ceased to be binding, we find 

 it still extensively adhered to by naturalists in this country. 



We now approach a subject of great importance, regarding 

 which the greatest difference of opinion and practice exists 

 among naturalists, that is, regarding the name of the author 

 to be placed as '' authority " after the double name of a plant 

 or animal. Although it has been remarked that it was a 

 " Pandora's box let loose upon science," when the practice of 

 appending the authority to a name was introduced, yet the 

 reason for doing it is perfectly obvious. If the object of 

 scientific nomenclature is to secure accuracy and precision, 

 then we must also record the author who gave the name, that 

 in case of any uncertainty or dispute we may refer back to 

 his description. Here there would be no difficulty were it 

 not that the progress of science, as already mentioned, so 

 often requires subdivision and rectification of old genera. 

 Trichecus rosmarus, the walrus, is T, rosmarus Linnmus, and 

 will remain so, — Linnaeus being responsible both for the 

 species rosmariis and its combination with Trichecus. But 

 when a species originally described under one genus is put 

 under another genus by a subsequent writer, the question 

 arises as to whose name is to be appended as authority — 

 that of the original describer of the species or of the author 

 of the new combination ? The plan used by older writers 



