374 ZOOLOGICAL NOMENCLATURE. 



of ancient names, when correctly applied, is most desirable, 

 for " in framing scientific terms, the appropriation of old words 

 is preferable to the formation of new ones/'* 



(I.) Adjective generic names. — The names of genera are in all 

 cases essentially substantive, and hence adjective terms cannot 

 be employed for them without doing violence to grammar. The 

 generic names Hians, Criniger, Cursorius, Nitidula, &c, are 

 examples of this incorrect usage. 



(m.) Hybrid names. — Compound words, whose component 

 parts are taken from two different languages, are great defor- 

 mities in nomenclature, and naturalists should be especially 

 guarded not to introduce any more such terms into zoology, 

 which furnishes too many examples of them already. We have 

 them compounded of Greek and Latin, as Dendrqfalco, Gymno- 

 corvus, Monoculus, Arborophila, flavigaster ; Greek and French, 

 as Jacamaralcyon, Jacamerops ; and Greek and English, as 

 Bullockoides, Gilberlsocrinites. 



(n.) Names closely resembling other names already used. — By 

 Rule 10 it was laid down that when a name is introduced, 

 which is identical with one previously used, the later one should 

 be changed. Some authors have extended the same principle 

 to cases where the later name, when correctly written, only 

 approaches in form, without wholly coinciding with the earlier. 

 We do not, however, think it advisable to make this law im- 

 perative, first, because of the vast extent of our nomenclature, 

 which renders it highly difficult to find a name which shall not 

 bear more or less resemblance in sound to some other ; and, 

 secondly, because of the impossibility of fixing a limit to the 

 degree of approximation beyond which such a law should cease 

 to operate. We content ourselves, therefore, with putting forth 

 this proposition merely as a recommendation to naturalists in 

 selecting generic names, to avoid such as too closely approxi- 

 mate words already adopted. So with respect to species, the 

 judicious naturalist will aim at variety of designation, and 

 will not, for example, call a species virens or virescens in a genus 

 which already possesses a viridis. 



(o.) Corrupted words. — In the construction of compound 

 Latin words, there are certain grammatical rules which have 

 been known and acted on for two thousand years, and which 

 a naturalist is bound to acquaint himself with before he tries 

 his skill in coining zoological terms. One of the chief of these 

 rules is, that in compounding words all the radical or essential 

 parts of the constituent members must be retained, and no 

 change made except in the variable terminations. But several 



* Whewell. Phil. Ind. Sc. v. i. p. lxvii. 



