G6 INTRODUCTION. 



phus pectinicornis, &c. ; or, again, if a name has been em- 

 ployed indicative of the habitation or place of ca})ture of an 

 insect, and it is afterwards discovered that the su})posed ha- 

 bitation was merely accidental — as, for instance, Curculio 

 Inpathi j or it be discovered that the insect is not confined 

 to the supposed locality — as, for instance, Agonum Austria- 

 cum, Raphidia Londinensis — that in all, or any of these 

 cases, it is necessary that new specific names should be given 

 to these insects. We, however, see no necessity for any 

 such step : Loricera pilicornis is known throughout the 

 entomological world under that name. The object for which a 

 specific name is given to the animal is therefore com})letely 

 obtained ; and if we would change this name, and give it 

 another strictly referable to some specific peculiarity, we 

 cannot see what there is to prevent a would-be reformer of 

 names from throwing down the hundreds of names, derived 

 from the heathen mythology, given to insects, and substitut- 

 ing others of his own in their stead. I would not, however, 

 be understood to advocate error, even though long })erpe- 

 tuated. 



The name of the author by whom an insect was first de- 

 scribed and named, is generally placed in an abbreviated 

 manner after the specific name. Thus the insect described 

 by Linnfcus under the name of Carabus intricatus is s])oken 

 of as Carab. intricatus Linn. Sometimes, however, when an 

 insect has been removed from the genus in which it w^as ori- 

 ginally placed, the new generic name is written, and the 

 name of the person by whom the removal was made is added 

 after that of the species. Thus the Cychrus rostatus Fabr. 

 was originally the Tenebrio rostratus Linn. ; but Fabricius 

 removed it to the genus Cychrus. Here, however, an evi- 

 dent injustice takes place, as the name of the original de- 

 scriber of a species ought always certainly to follow his own 

 name. This difficulty might be obviated in two ways : cither 



