SMITH : NOMENCLATURE OF CERTAIN GENERA. 333 



Strictly in accordance with the law of priority, which must, I 

 think, be regarded as affording the best means of justly deciding 

 difficult questions in nomenclature. 



I am fully aware that there exists a very strong feeling 

 against altering the usual nomenclature as set forth by Jeffreys, 

 but if it can be clearly shown that he was in error, such prejudice 

 I think should be set aside — ^De iiioiim's, nil nisi boniimj' — quite 

 so, but still, I am of opinion that it is time to dissipate the notion 

 of the infallibility of our respected author and friend. His book 

 on British Conchology is a charming work, but still, in respect 

 of nomenclature, it has its blemishes. He himself would 

 eagerly have welcomed criticism, although his answer might 

 have been more or less dogmatic. 



VIVIPARU.S vice PAT.UDINA. 



The British species which we recognise under this genus 

 were placed by Linnpeus in his comprehensive group Helix. 

 I>amarck seems to have been the first to remove them, and in 

 his work entitled ' Philosophic Zoologique,' he indicated a group 

 for them and their allies under the name ' Vivipare.'' No de- 

 scription, however, was given, nor were any specific names 

 quoted. Such being the case, the genus cannot be said to be 

 established at that date (1809). In the year following, Mont- 

 fort ^ adopted T^amarck's name and rendered it into latin as 

 Vivipariis. He gave a generic description and quoted Helix 

 vivipara of Linn, (the specific name of which he changed to 

 fluvionnn) as his type, which he both described and figured. 



Lamarck ^ in 1 8 1 2 substituted the name ' Paludine ' for 

 ' Fivipare,' but gave no description at the time, and did not 

 refer to any species. In 1819* he gave full particulars of his 

 genus Paludina and described the known species. However, 

 as the name ' Vivipare ' in the meantime had been latinized 

 and properly characterised by Montfort, Lamarck had no right 



1 Conch. System., vol. ii., p. 247. 



2 Extrait du Cours de Zoologie, p. 117. 



3 Hist, Anim, sans vert., vol, vi., (2), p. 172. 



