502 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLV. No. 1169 



some other part. Invariably, however, all 

 would join in. 



This habit was first observed by me sev- 

 eral years ago, just how long I do not remem- 

 ber. It is associated with my earliest recol- 

 lections of the insect. I have made more or 

 less careful observation of it and taken notes 

 several times, the first time in 1912. I do not 

 think that I ever saw a colony that did not 

 have the habit and I have had them in the 

 laboratory every summer for several years. 

 Observations of the habit may be made on 

 colonies confined in the breeding cage or on 

 those in the natural conditions. There seems 

 to be no difference. 



There is no doubt in my mind that this habit 

 is an excellent example of synchronous 

 rhythmic motion, not occasional or accidental, 

 but habitual with the species. It may be well 

 added to Mr. Craig's single, more or less doubt- 

 ful, example, that of the chirping of crickets. 



L. M. Peairs 

 Entomological Laboeatort, 

 West Virginia TJniversitt 



the popular names of north american 



PLANTS 



An article under this title in Science for 

 February 2, by J. Adams, opens a question 

 which has interested the present writer partly 

 for the same reasons as there given, and he 

 has passed through various stages of mental 

 attitude toward it. 



A notable fact is that common names when 

 once established are apparently more stable 

 than the scientific names. The names of 

 birds furnish a good example of this, very few 

 common names having been changed in the 

 last fifteen years while a fourth or more of the 

 scientific names have been changed, and some 

 of them two or three times. However, the 

 number of species of seed plants is about ten 

 times as great as that of birds. 



This very stability indicates difficulty in 

 establishing common names where none exist. 

 Names are a result of necessary "handles," 

 and the greater part of those species which 

 have not received them are not regarded fre- 

 quently enough to establish names. The essen- 

 tial qualities of a name would seem to be sig- 



nificance and simplicity. The use of qualify- 

 ing adjectives should be avoided as far as 

 possible. The writer is not certain that a 

 species must bear the same name in different 

 regions, or that different species may not have 

 the same one inasmuch as a name which is 

 appropriate in one place may not be in an- 

 other, and similar species often occupy similar 

 places in different regions. The writer places 

 much value on local lists, keys, etc., including 

 a single state or natural area. This restricts 

 the number of species involved and simplifies 

 identification. 



The surest way to acquaint the general pub- 

 lic with the names of plants is through illus- 

 trations. Is it not possible to have a coopera- 

 tive system by which different states would be 

 responsible for certain portions and thus dis- 

 tribute the cost of production as widely as 

 possible? This would eliminate the duplica- 

 tion now current from the publication of sim- 

 ilar material in different places and permit 

 the use of first-class illustrations of uniform 

 quality, as well as help to unify the names. 



O. A. Stevens 

 Agricultural College, N. D. 



faunal conditions in south georgia 



ISLANDS 



During a recent visit to the islands of South 

 Georgia (latitude 54° south) a very curious 

 faunal condition was noted, and as this is, 

 perhaps, of biological interest, it may be well 

 to state briefly the facts of the case. 



South Georgia lies in the sub-Antarctic 

 region a few hundred miles to the east of 

 Cape Horn. The season is open for about 

 three months, but quite rigorous the remainder 

 of the year. The principal vegetation is tus- 

 sock grass, and this at one time supported 

 many rabbits and perhaps a few other species 

 of mammals. A few decades ago, the whaling 

 industry was started with South Georgia as a 

 base of operations. To-day there are nine 

 whaling stations on the large island, and in 

 a good season of three or four months, several 

 thousand whales are handled. The carcasses 

 are allowed to drift along the beach, as soon as 

 the outer coating of blubber has been removed. 



