﻿248 
  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  MALACOLOGICAL 
  SOCIETY. 
  

  

  which 
  is 
  a 
  monotype, 
  and 
  must 
  therefore 
  be 
  a 
  genotype. 
  It 
  seems 
  

   to 
  me, 
  therefore, 
  that 
  they 
  really 
  made 
  a 
  definite 
  selection 
  of 
  a 
  type 
  

   for 
  the 
  genus 
  Gafrarium, 
  and 
  that 
  their 
  application 
  of 
  the 
  name 
  

   should 
  be 
  accepted 
  in 
  preference 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  Dr. 
  Dall. 
  In 
  other 
  

   words 
  the 
  name 
  Gafrarium 
  should 
  take 
  the 
  place 
  of 
  Corbis, 
  and 
  

   Circe 
  should 
  remain 
  as 
  a 
  genus 
  of 
  Veneridce, 
  with 
  Crista 
  (Romer) 
  

   as 
  a 
  subgenus. 
  

  

  Papuia 
  (Bolten). 
  

  

  Paphia 
  is 
  a 
  name 
  which 
  has 
  unfortunately 
  been 
  applied 
  to 
  very 
  

   different 
  shell- 
  groups 
  by 
  different 
  writers, 
  but 
  we 
  are 
  bound 
  to 
  go 
  

   back 
  to 
  the 
  author 
  who 
  first 
  used 
  the 
  name 
  in 
  binomial 
  nomenclature, 
  

   and 
  to 
  select 
  a 
  type 
  from 
  the 
  species 
  of 
  his 
  group. 
  The 
  first 
  author 
  

   in 
  this 
  case 
  is 
  Bolten, 
  and 
  his 
  Paphia 
  only 
  included 
  six 
  species, 
  

   namely, 
  Vemis 
  ala-avis, 
  better 
  known 
  as 
  V. 
  gigantea, 
  Gmel., 
  7''. 
  Meroe 
  

   (a 
  Sunetta), 
  and 
  four 
  species 
  of 
  Tapes. 
  JS^ow 
  Sunetta 
  was 
  established 
  

   as 
  a 
  separate 
  genus 
  by 
  Link 
  in 
  1807, 
  and 
  Tapes 
  by 
  Megerle 
  in 
  1811, 
  

   while 
  Venus 
  gigantea 
  was 
  not 
  separated 
  from 
  3Ieretrix 
  and 
  Callista 
  

   till 
  1876 
  (as 
  Ilacrocallista, 
  Meek). 
  It 
  is 
  therefore 
  Meek's 
  name 
  

   which 
  should 
  have 
  given 
  place 
  to 
  Bolten's, 
  and 
  Paphia 
  should 
  have 
  

   replaced 
  Macrocallista. 
  

  

  Unfortunately, 
  when 
  Dr. 
  Dall 
  adopted 
  Bolten's 
  names 
  for 
  genera 
  

   of 
  Veneridse 
  he 
  did 
  not 
  do 
  this. 
  His 
  discussion 
  of 
  the 
  matter 
  is 
  

   brief 
  and 
  incorrect, 
  for 
  he 
  wrote: 
  "From 
  Paphia, 
  Bolten, 
  Simetta 
  

   and 
  Meretrix 
  have 
  been 
  eliminated, 
  leaving 
  only 
  species 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  

   ordinarily 
  called 
  Tapes, 
  which 
  must 
  retain 
  Bolten's 
  name." 
  ^ 
  It 
  is 
  

   clear 
  that 
  he 
  intended 
  to 
  choose 
  the 
  type 
  by 
  elimination, 
  and 
  that 
  

   the 
  mention 
  of 
  Meretrix 
  is 
  a 
  mistake, 
  for 
  on 
  p. 
  1220 
  he 
  had 
  properly 
  

   referred 
  V. 
  gigantea 
  to 
  3racrocaUista, 
  which 
  was 
  proposed 
  by 
  Meek 
  

   as 
  a 
  subgenus 
  of 
  Callista 
  (I'oli), 
  not 
  of 
  Meretrix 
  as 
  restricted 
  by 
  Dall 
  

   himself 
  and 
  typified 
  by 
  the 
  V. 
  meretrix, 
  Linn. 
  He 
  should 
  have 
  

   eliminated 
  the 
  species 
  of 
  Tapes, 
  and 
  have 
  attached 
  tlie 
  name 
  Paphia 
  

   to 
  V. 
  ala-avis. 
  This 
  application 
  of 
  the 
  name 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  

   a 
  satisfactory 
  solution 
  of 
  the 
  Callista 
  difficulty, 
  whereas 
  the 
  dis- 
  

   placement 
  of 
  Tapes 
  is 
  very 
  inconvenient 
  and 
  irritating, 
  on 
  account 
  

   of 
  its 
  having 
  been 
  constantly 
  used 
  in 
  conchological 
  nomenclature 
  for 
  

   sixty 
  or 
  seventy 
  years. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  question, 
  howevei', 
  whether 
  anyone 
  is 
  

   at 
  liberty 
  to 
  correct 
  Dr. 
  Dall's 
  mistake, 
  for 
  it 
  does 
  not 
  contravene 
  any 
  

   of 
  the 
  existing 
  rules 
  of 
  the 
  International 
  Commission, 
  only 
  one 
  of 
  

   the 
  recommendations, 
  and 
  Article 
  SOy 
  says 
  : 
  " 
  Any 
  subsequent 
  author 
  

   may 
  select 
  the 
  type, 
  and 
  such 
  selection 
  is 
  not 
  subject 
  to 
  change." 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  the 
  selection 
  made 
  in 
  this 
  case 
  is 
  not 
  in 
  accord 
  

   with 
  the 
  principle 
  of 
  priority, 
  for 
  it 
  leads 
  to 
  the 
  displacement 
  of 
  

   a 
  generic 
  name 
  which 
  has 
  priority 
  over 
  another 
  available 
  name. 
  This 
  

   is 
  a 
  result 
  which 
  ought 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  allowed 
  by 
  the 
  Rules 
  of 
  Nomen- 
  

   clature, 
  i.e., 
  it 
  should 
  not 
  be 
  possible 
  for 
  Megerle 
  to 
  be 
  deprived 
  of 
  

   his 
  right 
  to 
  the 
  perpetuation 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  Tapes, 
  if 
  a 
  later 
  generic 
  

   creation 
  can 
  be 
  displaced 
  in 
  its 
  stead. 
  

  

  Consequently 
  I 
  think 
  that 
  the 
  direction 
  to 
  select 
  a 
  type 
  by 
  tire 
  

  

  ^ 
  Trans. 
  Wagner 
  Free 
  Inst. 
  Sc, 
  vol. 
  iii, 
  pt. 
  vi, 
  p. 
  1222, 
  1903. 
  

  

  