July 5, 1912] 



SCIENCE 



11 



they are to be considered. Therefore, in order 

 to bring the question of nomina conservanda 

 before the next International Congress, we, the 

 undersigned, have drawn up and forwarded to 

 the secretary of the International Commission, 

 Dr. Ch. W. Stiles, Washington, D. C, the fol- 

 lowing proposal : 



PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO THE INTERNATIONAL CODE 

 OP ZOOLOGICAL NOMENCLATURE 



To add to Article 26. 



To avoid disadvantageous changes in the nom- 

 enclature of genera by the strict application of 

 the rules of nomenclature, and especially of the 

 principle of priority, the International Commis- 

 sion on Zoological Nomenclature is empowered to 

 prepare a list of names to be retained. These 

 names are to be by preference those which have 

 come into general use in the fifty years following 

 their publication, especially those generic names 

 upon which long used family names are based and 

 those which have been used in monographs and 

 important works up to the year 1890. With each 

 generic name thus conserved is to be cited a type 

 species, to be chosen with a view to retaining the 

 name in its most widely known sense, even if 

 thereby an exception must be made to the other 

 provisions of this code. 



We beg leave to suggest to American zool- 

 ogists individually and to zoological societies 

 the need that the commission be fully in- 

 formed as to the state of opinion among us 

 concerning the substance of this proposal. 

 The commission has in times past published 

 an invitation to all zoologists to send in pro- 

 posed lists of nomina conservanda, and has 

 met with little response. This was doubtless 

 due to the form of the invitation, the data 

 called for being far more than any of us had 

 time to compile. It will require little eilort 

 to write a postcard to the secretary of the 

 commission, expressing approval or disap- 

 proval of plan proposed; it will be easier still 

 to vote " yes " or " no " to a question pre- 

 pared for circulation among the members of 

 any society having zoological interests. It is 

 urged that in all zoological societies, such an 

 inquiry be circulated for personal signature, 

 and that the result of the vote be forwarded 

 to the commission and also published in the 



scientific press. We entertain a hope that the 

 real opinion of zoologists may thus find ex- 

 pression, and that such expression may so 

 influence future rule-making as to prevent 

 the unspeakable confusion of our literature 

 that already impends. 

 (Signed) 

 J. C. Bradley Gr. W. Herrick 



J. H. CoMSTOCK C. E. Crosby 



J. G. Needham a. H. Wright 



H. D. Eebd E. Matheson 



W. A. EiLET G. C. Embody 



Anna H. Morgan 



THE BAINET AFRICAN COLLECTION 

 The final shipment of the extensive natural 

 history collection made by the Paul J. Eainey 

 expedition in British East Africa, numbering 

 some fourteen barrels and thirteen cases, has 

 been received at the U. S. National Museum, 

 and is being unpacked in the taxidermy shops. 

 The collection is of large size, including some 

 4,000 specimens, more than 700 of which are 

 those of large game. 



Mr. Edmund Heller has been the guest of 

 Mr. Paul J. Eainey on his African hunting 

 trip, and accompanied the expedition for the 

 purpose of preserving the animals secured. 

 Mr. Eainey has donated the entire collection 

 to the Smithsonian Institution and the Na- 

 tional Museum. While Mr. Heller had charge 

 of the preservation of mammals in general, he 

 paid special attention to collecting carnivores 

 and ungulates. In a Smithsonian publication, 

 now in press, Mr. Heller describes twenty-four 

 new species of African rodents found in the 

 collection. During the trip Mr. Eainey 

 granted Mr. Heller every opportunity to make 

 a complete survey of mammals. His assist- 

 ants, twenty or thirty trained negro skinners, 

 porters, etc., were employed by the safari. 



Among the material obtained is the series 

 of lions captured by Mr. Eainey's American 

 bear-hounds, as described in his well-known 

 lectures. There are also many specimens of 

 different kinds of antelopes, including the 

 hartebeestes, wildebeestes and waterbucks, as 

 well as buffaloes, zebras, cheetahs, monkeys 

 and rodents. A few hippo skulls and rhino 



