910 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXVII. No. 963 



tention, and that the case was not fully cov- 

 ered by the regular international rules on 

 nomenclature, it is clear that it might be 

 settled in one of two ways: either by making 

 a special ruling with regard to it, or by in- 

 serting a paragraph in the general set of rules, 

 which would cover it. 



Both ways have been used : the first is the 

 ruling given in opinion 11 ; the other is the 

 second paragraph in Art. 30, II. {g), in the 

 " International Rules of Zoological Nomen- 

 clature," as published in the Proceedings of 

 the Seventh International Zoological Congress, 

 1912, p. 46. This says: 



The meaning of the expression "select the 

 type" is to be rigidly construed. Mention of a 

 species as an illustration or example of a genus 

 does not constitute a selection of a type. 



Every one familiar with the case knows that 

 this paragraph was added to the rules with the 

 special purpose of disposing of the doubt as to 

 the meaning of Latreille's word type. At any 

 rate, I know of no other case where it might 

 be applied. 



The two decisions are contrary to each other. 

 The ruling made in opinion 11 accepts 

 Latreille's " types " as genotypes in the mod- 

 era sense. The paragraph under Art. 30, 

 quoted above, forbids it to accept them as 

 genotypes. For there is not the slightest 

 question that Latreille meant the word type 

 in the sense of illustration or example, for the 

 other sense did not exist at that time. The 

 argument (opinion 11, p. 18) that the use of 

 the definite article (I'espece) indicates that it 

 was meant in the latter sense, is simply pre- 

 posterous, since by substituting " une espeee " 

 for " I'espece " the sense of the sentence would 

 not be changed at all. 



It is much to be regretted that such an ab- 

 surd situation has been created. Of course, 

 this might be excused, since the opinion 11 

 was published two years ahead (in 1910), 

 while the amendment to Art. 30 of the rules 

 did not appear in print till 1912. Yet it 

 might have been expected, for obvious rea- 

 sons, that the latter should have been known 

 to all members of the International Commis- 

 sion on nomenclature as early as 1907. 



Of course the paragraph of the regular rules 

 should prevail. But in order to remove all 

 doubt in the minds of zoologists not familiar 

 with the facts, and in order to avoid that the 

 rulings of the commission might become a 

 farce, one of the next " opinions " to be pub- 

 lished should reverse opinion 11. But whether 

 it is expressly repealed or not, opinion 11 can 

 not stand any more, and zoologists not con- 

 forming to it should not be criticized for it^ 

 A. E. Ortmann 



Carnegie Museum, 



PiTTSBUEGH, Pa. 



SCIENTIFIC BOOKS 

 The Omaha Tribe. By Alice C. Fletcher,. 

 holder of the Thaw fellowship, Peabody Mu- 

 seum, Harvard University, and Francis La. 

 Flesche, a member of the Omaha tribe. 

 Twenty-seventh Annual Report of the Bu- 

 reau of American Ethnology, 1905-06, 

 Washington, Government Printing Office. 

 1911. Pp. 672, plates 65, Figs. 132. 

 The most obvious thing about this mono- 

 graph is the authors' well-nigh complete neg- 

 lect of the work of their predecessors. It is 

 their avowed purpose (p. 30) to borrow noth- 

 ing from other observers and to present " only- 

 original material gathered directly from the' 

 native people." Apart from any considera- 

 tions of historical justice, this principle is un- 

 justifiable from the standpoint of the student. 

 A work so ambitious will naturally be regarded 

 by almost every reader as definitive, as em- 

 bodying everything that is known concerning 

 the ancient life of the Omaha and as taking 

 cognizance of all additional and contradictory^ 

 testimony. In both hopes he will be disap- 

 pointed. There are subjects on which other- 

 observers have collected information not fur- 

 nished by Miss Fletcher and Mr. La Flesche. 

 The parent-in-law taboo, for instance, is- 

 treated more fully in Say's notes' and in J. O. 

 Dorsey's classical work'' than in the brief 



" In James 's ' ' Account of an Expedition from 

 Pittsburgh to the Rocky Mountains" (London^ 

 1823), I., pp. 232-234. 



^ ' ' Omaha Sociology, ' ' Third Ann. Rept. But.. 

 Eth., pp. 262-263. 



