On Nomenclature. 429 



to have been given to two different genera, it must be excluded 

 from one. 



1 1. Generic names, already occupied by ichthyologists, en- 

 tomologists, or botanists, &c, should be left in their prior 

 possession, as, 1, Arenaria; 2, Diodon ; 3, Ichneumon; 4, 

 Myrmecophaga ; 5, Pica; 6, Taxus. 1, a plant and a bird; 

 2, a whale, a sunfish, and a shell; 3, a beast and an insect ; 4, 

 a beast and an insect; 5, Pika a beast, Pica a bird ; 6, a beast 

 and a plant. 



12. It seems scarcely necessary to suggest the rejection of 

 manifestly inappropriate names, as Echidna, Greek for a 

 viper, given to the Porcupine anteater : Cebus, the name of a 

 species of monkey, should not be both genus and species. 

 Molossus, a species or variety of dog, has been given to a bat. 



13. Generic names, common to anatomists or physicians, 

 to pharmacy, chemistry, manufactures, agriculture, or the 

 detail of common life, should be avoided and discarded; as 

 Arvicola, Carloo, Catarrhactes, Cochlearius, Fregatta, Pe- 

 ter us, Lotor, Saxicola, Secretarius, Serpentarius, Spectrum, 

 Stercorarius. He therefore substitutes Hypudae\is (u7rou$ajoj, 

 subterraneous) for Mus arvalis of Linnaeus, and Arvicola of 

 La Cepede. 



14. Substantives are preferable to adjectives for generic 

 denominations. The correctness of this aphorism is at least 

 doubtful : 1st, because the relation of any word to another, 

 to a proposition, or a sentence, makes the same word, some- 

 times, an adjective, sometimes a substantive ; e. g. Flaminia is 

 a proper name, Via Flaminia, a Roman highway ; Felis, applied 

 to Leo, is used elliptically for felinus, or generis felini ; or, 

 in correspondence with Mr. Vigors's arrangement, Leo would 

 be of the family Felidae. Now, though the name is of Latin 

 origin and the termination Greek, yet the plural termination 

 marks a reference to a plural substantive. Take, for example, 

 family Fringillidae ; tribe Conirostres ; order Insessores ; class 

 AVes. Secondly, because it is obviously convenient that the 

 generic name should express, if possible, the generic cha- 

 racteristic: allowing exceptions in favour of very familiar 

 names, as horse, dog, cat, camel, EVjuus, Canis, Felis, Camelus. 

 Thirdly, because it is not easy to guess why some modern 

 names, should be feminine, as Auchenia for a genus allied to 

 Camelus, of the family Tylopoda ; and others masculine, as 

 Rhinolophus and Phyllostomus, two genera of Illiger's order 

 Volitantia., family Chiroptera. Illiger instances the words 

 Caudivulvulus (to which there may be objection, because it is 

 indefinite, as applicable to several verv different animals), 



ii 3 



