PRI^XIPLES, CANONS, AND RECOMiMENDATIONS. 6l 



use of which, if practised with discretion, is not objectionable. But care 

 should be exercised as to introducing names of persons who have not ren- 

 dered some noteworthy service to science, either as investigators, col- 

 lectors of materials, or promoters of zoological investigation. The same 

 remark will apply with still greater force to generic names, in respect to 

 which the Bath (1863) Committee of the British Association makes the fol- 

 lowing sound suggestion : — 



'■^Specific names from persons have already been sufficiently prostituted, 

 and personal generic names have increased to a large and undeserving ex- 

 tent. The handing down the name of a naturalist by a genus has always 

 been considered as the highest honour that could be given, and should never 

 be bestowed lightly. ^ " 



The simplest rule for forming a generic appellation from a personal name 

 seems to be to ascertain first the genitive of the name according to the above 

 suggestions, and then to append an a. In this case, however, the silent e at 

 the end of a name should be dropped ; e. g., Latreil'ia, not Laireilleia. In 

 some other cases the author will need to exercise his taste in forming the 

 words when the genitive form does not end in /. 



It has been suggested that the name be "disembarrassed from all titles 

 and all preliminary particles " ; but it is evident that in many cases the "pre- 

 liminary particle " is so important a part of the name that its exclusion 

 would make the name unrecognizable. While, therefore, it is proper to omit 

 the Germon vo7i, for instance, in Lanius Jiomeyeri, it would hardly be de- 

 fensible to write Diifi or Alursii, instead of Diibusi or Desmursii, when 

 intending to honor Du Bus or Des Murs by naming a species after him. 

 That 'particle' does not mean 'article' neM hardly be mentioned, and 

 names like La Fresnaye, etc., should not be csmembered, though in Ger- 

 man names the article also has to be left out when the particle is dropped. 



Recommendation III. The best zoolojiical names are those 

 which are derived from the Latin or Greek, and express some 

 distinguishing characteristic of the object to which they are 

 apphed. 



Remarks. — This is Recommendation 'A.' of the B. A. 'Recommenda- 

 tions for the Improvement of Zoological Nomenclature in the Future,' under 

 which the B. A. Committee considers 'Classes of objectionable names.' 

 This subject has also since received detailed consideration from De Candolle 

 in his - Lois de la Nomenclature botanique,' and Mr. Dall has devoted several 

 pages to it in his 'Report' (pp. 29-31), all of which may well be consulted 

 in this connection. The principal of these recommendations may be sum- 

 marized as follows : — 



^ " Hoc unicum et summum proemium laboris, sancte servandum, et caste dis- 

 pensandum ad incitamentum et ornamentum Botanices. — Phil. Botan., p. i:'i." 



