President's Address. 289 



been frequently used — I see Mr Hoyle adopts it in his 

 " Catalogue of British Ophmroidea," which has just appeared 

 in our Proceedings — namely, that of writing the authority for 

 the combination immediately after the specific name, and 

 besides that appending the name within brackets of the 

 original describer of the species. The principal objection 

 which I have to this plan is, that I consider it cumbrous and 

 really unnecessary. 



Though there are many of us who are still quite content 

 with the good old Linnsean plan of having two names for 

 every organism, there are others who are not quite satisfied 

 with two, but in some cases would like three, if not four. 

 Hence the discussion on " trinomial nomenclature " which 

 took place in the Natural History Museum in London in 

 June last, to which I have already referred. 



Now, there are two kinds of trinomialism. The first 

 works by the institution of subgenera. When the species of 

 a large genus can be arranged in subordinate groups, sitb- 

 generic titles are instituted for these; and each of the species, 

 except those of the typical subdivision, comes to have three 

 names — the first generic, the second subgeneric in parenthesis, 

 and the third specific. 



To this I feel quite averse, as being an unnecessary inter- 

 ference with the shortness, conciseness, and convenience of 

 the binomial system. If the groups in question are suffi- 

 ciently distinct from each other — well, that is a case for 

 subdivision, reserving the old generic name for the typical 

 group, and instituting new genera for the others, as I myself 

 felt constrained to do with the genus Palceoniscus of Agassiz. 

 But if they are not, I see no adequate reason for compli- 

 cating our good old system by sticking in a third name in 

 brackets, though in systematic works or catalogues the 

 species under any genus may be grouped in any way the 

 author pleases, provided the type species comes first. 



This form of trinomialism was alluded to at the meetinsr 

 at the British Museum by Dr Woodward, and defended by 

 him on the ground that the thorough breaking up of the old 

 genera, such as Ammonites, into new ones, increased the 

 labour of the student, who was already hampered with too 



