24 Remarks on Zoological Nomenclature. 



(Sparus pagrus, Lin. Arted.)" leaving the reader to discover the 

 modern name of Sparus pagrus, Lin., in a work written with 

 more extended views. In the modern Atlas to the same work, 

 the editors shamefully subvert one of the best principles of mod- 

 ern nomenclature. A figure of a true Mergus is given on plate 

 100, as an example of this genus, whilst our Colymbus glacialis 

 is named on plate 8S "Grand plongeon {Mergus glacialis, Bris- 

 son,)" Podiceps cornutus, as " Grebe (Colymbus comutus, Bris- 

 son,)" and Gryllotalpa vulgaris, as "La courtiliere commune 

 (Gryllus gryllo-talpa,\Jyr\.) n The French names take prece- 

 dence in capitals, to indicate that they comprise all that is neces- 

 sary. 



To cite authors correctly, the name particularly adopted must 

 be quoted, and if this be in the vernacular, conspicuously head- 

 ing the description, or engraved upon the plate, the author must 

 be cited for it ; but as no one is compelled to cite unrecognized 

 names, such works are liable to remain unnoticed. Yarrell's 

 British Fishes cannot be cited, as he gives no systematic name 

 to the species, and those of other authors are placed as synonyms. 



To frame an unexceptionable set of rules, requires the joint 

 labor of from three to six practical naturalists who have written 

 creditable works ; each one to be of a different nation, that local 

 prejudices might be avoided. A single author of judgment 

 might, by correspondence, arrive at the state of opinion on the 

 subject, and if his geographical position were such as to throw 

 him into communication with authors of different nations and 

 feelings, he would be the more able to reconcile conflicting 

 views. The varied attainments of Professor Agassiz seem to fit 

 him for such a task, and with the assistance of the Rev. L. Je- 

 nyns in England, Fischer de Waldheim in Russia and Germany, 

 C. L. Bonaparte in Italy, and Guerin-Meneville in France, could 

 produce a standard Codex zoologicus. 



