1882.] MR. J. E. HARTING ON NOMENCLATURE OF CoLouRs. 391 
Mr. Sclater exhibited a drawing by Mr. Smit (Plate XXIIT.) of the 
Tapir presented to the Society by Mr. Fritz Zurcher on the 13th of 
August last, and read extracts from some letters received from Mr. 
Zurcher on the subject, whereby it appeared that this animal had 
been captured on the Yuruari river in Venezuela when about eight 
months old (as was believed), and had been kept 15 months in 
captivity before being forwarded to this country. Its probable age 
was therefore now about three years. 
Mr. Sclater pointed out that in colour this animal appeared to agree 
better with the figure of T'apirus dowi (as represented in Godman 
and Salvin’s Biol. Centr.-Am., Mamm. p. 104, t. ix.) than with the 
ordinary Tapirus americanus; and suggested that it was quite likely 
that the former species might be the Tapir of the lower Andean 
range of Venezuela. But this point could only be decided by ana- 
tomical examination after the death of the animal. 
Mr. J. E. Harting, F.Z.S., called attention to the desirability of 
adopting a standard of nomenclature for the description of the colours 
of natural objects, and made the following remarks :— 
“Tn the animal kingdomthe number of colours is very great. They 
often form the most striking feature in the external appearance of 
species, and hence have been considered by systematists as affording 
distinguishing characters of much value. But an object may be 
described as of one colour by one person, and be taken by another 
person for quite a different tint; for the names of colours are 
frequently misapplied, and one name is often indiscriminately given 
to many colours. Hence arises an uncertainty in reading, and a 
perplexity in writing, a description, which would be obviated were 
some standard of nomenclature available for general reference. 
«So long ago as 1821, there appeared a manual the utility of which 
seems to have been quite lost sight of, owing perhaps chiefly to the 
fact that it has long been out of print and difficult to procure— 
namely, Werner’s ‘Nomenclature of Colours,’ edited by Syme. 
This work, excellent in principle, was designed to meet the very 
want which I now venture to express, but which was hardly 
experienced at the date of its publication, inasmuch as it was not 
then the general practice to publish the careful and detailed descrip- 
tions of species with which we are now familiar. Thus the book 
was neglected, and is now almost forgotten. 
“In my humble opinion, if a new edition of this work were to 
appear it would be extremely useful to zoologists, not only in this 
country, but in other parts of the world—wherever, in fact, zoological 
science is cultivated. 
«Assuming the want of such a standard nomenclature and the . 
desirability of satisfying it, I venture to think that in no way could 
this be better accomplished than by the publication of a new edition 
of Werner’s ‘ Nomenclature of Colours’ under the auspices of this 
Society. 
‘*Such a course would ensure the speedy adoption of the standard, 
Proc. Zoou. Soc.—1882, No. XXVII. 27 
