Geographic Nomenclature. 273 
A foreign name may be transliterated by one writer and trans- 
lated by another. This course gives rise to two or more forms. 
The absence of uniform usage in transliterating, causes diversity 
in one case, and in the other as several translations are possible, 
and mistakes probable, various forms arise. 
The progress of all science is intimately associated with ques- 
tions of nomenclature. Modern progress in biologic science dates 
from the adoption of the binomial system, and it is not too much 
to expect that progress in geographic science will similarly be 
found to be intimately associated with a study of geographic 
names and the principles which should control in their adoption 
and use. 
The object aimed at in these notes is to draw attention to the 
importance of the subject and to arouse discussion ; the purpose 
of the discussion being to ascertain if there be not certain guid- 
ing principles which may serve to aid in solving the numerous 
and perplexing questions relating to geographic nomenclature. 
What is a geographic name? Without attempting a categori- 
cal answer to this question I would say that geographic names 
seem to me to bear a strong resemblance to the names used in biol- 
ogy. They are generic and specific. To designate any specific geo- 
graphic feature we usually use two words, one a descriptive term, 
such as river, island, lake, pond or mountain, and the other, a 
specific name indicating what particular pond, lake, or mountain 
is designated. The term Mississippi River is a compound name, 
im which river may be regarded as a part of a proper name. It 
is the name of a genus, whereas the term Mississippi is the speci- 
fic designation. Of course it will happen in geographic names, 
as in biologic, that certain features or objects become so well 
known that a single name, either the generic or the specific will 
be used by itself to designate the object. We speak of Maine 
without prefixing the generic term “State of,” the specific name 
being sufficiently characteristic. On the other hand here in 
Washington references to “the Avenue” meaning Pennsylvania 
Avenue are familiar to all. In this case the generic term is used 
for particular specification. ‘These exceptional usages, however, 
do not appear to me to invalidate the general principle that the 
designation of geographic features consists in general of a specific 
and of a generic name. 
The origin of generic terms has been much studied. The 
origin of specific names has been studied but little and the present 
