JuLY 9, 1897.] 
treating it as a sub- 
and a full species in 
of a particular form, 
species in one paper 
the next. In the case of the Texas mole de- 
scribed as a subspecies by Dr. J. A. Allen 
in 1891 and raised to specific rank by the 
same author in 1893, Dr. Trouessart adopts a 
curious course. He gives it as a full species 
with 1893 as the date, and then in synonymy 
gives the subspecific form in which it was 
originally described, with 1897 as the date, 
showing that he was aware of the correct date. 
Of course, the species should date from 1891— 
the year in which the animal was named—for 
the date on which an author happens to change 
his mind as to the rank of a particular form has 
nothing to do with the date ofthe name. If 
this case represents Dr. Trouessart’s views in 
this matter the inference is that he, like some 
botanists of the old school, is a worshipper of 
the ‘combination.’ He certainly agrees with 
these botanists in spelling personal and some 
other specific names with a capital initial letter— 
in this respect again departing from the best 
usage among zoologists. 
Sections of genera and forms of species of 
earlier authors are sometimes given formal sub- 
generic and subspecific names, and names so 
given are credited to the early author instead 
of to himself. Thus the section ‘ Cercopitheci 
Rhinosticti’ of Sclater is made the subgenus 
‘Rhinostictus Sclater,’ and Dr. Harrison Allen’s 
‘Var. (b) Northern form of Vespertilio gryphus ’ 
is made ‘ Var. septentrionalis H. Allen.’ 
I am indebted to Dr. T. 8. Palmer for calling 
my attention to Dr. Trouessart’s extraordinary 
rule for the treatment of preoccupied names. 
If he finds such names preoccupied among 
mammals he promptly renames them (as Scapto- 
gale nob. for Echinogale Pomel), but if they are 
preoccupied in other branches of the animal 
kingdom he lets them stand. Thus the generic 
names Tylostoma (p. 155), Schizostoma (154), 
Macrotus (152), Mystacina (149), Furia (135), 
Vesperus (106), Megaloglossus (98) and many 
others are retained, notwithstanding the fact 
that all are preoccupied and replaced by other 
names now in more or less common use. A 
few of the dates given for genera are erroneous. 
For instance, Leuconoe Boie ‘1825’ should be 
1830, and Dendrogale Gray ‘1843’ should be 
SCIENCE. 
69 
1848. Prototalpa is evidently an amended form 
of Protalpa and as such should date from Proto- 
talpa Roger 1887 instead of Protalpa Filhol 
1877. 
Since the appearance ot the first edition of 
Dr. Trouessart’s Catalogue (1878-85) no attempt 
has been made to collect in one work the names 
of all the mammals of the world; and since all 
fossil as well as living species are included, the 
immensity of the task is apparent. Most au- 
thors shrink from such an undertaking, not 
only on account of its magnitude, but also on 
account of the extreme difficulty, not to say 
impossibility, of determining the status of de- 
scribed forms in groups that have not been re- 
cently revised. Nevertheless the work is of 
such great practical utility that for years to 
come eyery student of living or fossil mammals 
must keep a copy at his elbow and will owe its 
author a debt of gratitude. Dr. Trouessart is 
evidently a very rapid worker; we wish him 
health and freedom from interruptions, so that 
his great undertaking may be speedily com- 
pleted. 
C. H. M. 
SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 
THE 96TH REGULAR MEETING OF THE CHEMICAL 
SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON. 
Tue following program was presented: 
H. N. Stokes : ‘The Chloronitrides of Phosphorus.’ 
P. Fireman: ‘The Ripening of Cheese and the Roéle 
which Micro-organisms Play in the Process.’ EH. A. 
de Schweinitz and Marion Dorset: ‘The Product of 
the Tuberculosis Bacillus.’ H. W. Wiley and W. H. 
Krug: ‘The Standard Methods of Starch Determina- 
tion.’ W. H. Krug and J. E. Blomén: ‘The Com- 
mercial Preparation of Nitro-napthalene.’ F. K. 
Cameron : ‘ The Replacement of Chlorine by Sulphur 
in Alkaline Chlorides.’ Wirt Tassin : ‘A New Min- 
eral.’ : 
Dr. Stokes showed that the only mem- 
bers of the phosphorus Chloronitrides series 
(PNCl,),, hitherto known are (PNCI,), (Liebig) 
and (PNCl,), (Stokes). The series is now ex- 
tended to include (PNCI,)., (PNCl,), and 
(PNCl,),, as well as a mixture of higher poly- 
mers, not yet isolated, and terminating with a 
rubber-like polymer of high molecular weight. 
The substances are prepared by heating equi- 
molecular weights of phosphorus pentachloried 
