ZOOLOGICAL NOMENCLATURE. 359 



in all such cases; another declares war against names of exotic 

 origin, foreign to the Greek and Latin ; a third excommuni- 

 cates all worcls which exceed a certain number of syllables ; a 

 fourth cancels all names which are complimentary of indi- 

 viduals, and so on, till universality and permanence, the two 

 great essentials of scientific language, are utterly destroyed. 



It is surely, then, an object well worthy the attention of the 

 Zoological Section of the British Association for the Advance- 

 ment of Science to devise some means which may lessen the 

 extent of this evil, if not wholly put an end to it. The best 

 method of making the attempt seems to be to entrust to a 

 carefully-selected committee the preparation of a series of rules, 

 the adoption of which must be left to the sound sense of 

 naturalists in general. By emanating from the British Asso- 

 ciation, it is hoped that the proposed rules will be invested with 

 an authority which no individual zoologist, however eminent, 

 could confer on them. The world of Science is no longer a 

 monarchy, obedient to the ordinances, however just, of an 

 Aristotle or a Linnseus. She has now assumed the form of a 

 republic ; and, although this revolution may have increased the 

 vigour and zeal of her followers, yet it has destroyed much of 

 her former order and regularity of government. The latter 

 can only be restored by framing such laws as shall be based in 

 reason, and sanctioned by the approval of men of science; and 

 it is to the preparation of these laws that the Zoological Section 

 of the Association have been invited to give their aid. 



In venturing to propose these rules for the guidauce of all 

 classes of zoologists in all countries, we disclaim any intention 

 of dictating to men of science the course which they may see 

 fit to pursue. It must of course be always at the option of 

 authors to adhere to or depart from these principles ; but we 

 offer them to the candid consideration of zoologists, in the hope 

 that they may lead to sufficient uniformity of method in future 

 to rescue the science from becoming a mere chaos of words. 



We now proceed to develope the details of our plan ; and, 

 in order to make the reasons by which we are guided apparent 

 to naturalists at large, it will be requisite to append to each 

 proposition a short explanation of the circumstances which call 

 for it. 



Among the numerous rules for nomenclature which have 

 been proposed by naturalists, there are many which, though 

 excellent in themselves, it is not now desirable to enforce.* 

 The cases in which those rules have been overlooked or departed 



* See especially the admirable code proposed in the " Philosophia Botanica " of 

 Linnaeus. If zoologists had paid more attention to the principles of that Code, the 

 present attempt at reform would perhaps have been unnecessary. 



