ZOOLOGICAL NOMENCLA.TUEE. 327 



throughout the Avhole scientifically cultured world, without 

 regard to race, political bouudaries, or vernacular speech. 



Then the question arises, how is this result to be attained ? 

 In his instructive, unassuming, and conciliatory preface to the 

 trilingual international code, Professor Blanchard traces the 

 history of the attempts tbat have been made to solve the problem. 

 " Nomenclature," he says, " is the grammar of the natural 

 sciences; it was defined for the first time by Linnaeus in the 

 ' Philosophia botanica' in 1751, and applied to begin with to the 

 vegetable kingdom, not being introduced methodically into the 

 animal kingdom by the celebrated Swedish naturalist until 1758." 

 Since then, during the last sixty years, advisory rules or codes 

 have been issued by Associations and Societies in different 

 countries and with various aims. Some of these have not striven 

 to control the whole field, but only special parts of it, as 

 palaeontology, ornithology, entomology. It is easy to under- 

 stand that, when large departments of human learning are 

 considered separately, regulations admirably fitted for one might 

 not be equally applicable or convenient for them all. But the 

 naturalist who begins his scientific life with the study of birds 

 and butterflies can never be sure that either of those fascinating 

 subjects will permanently secure his devotion. His affections 

 may rove away in quite other directions, making him a student 

 now of Protozoa and now of Primates, or onewhile a worshipper 

 of earthworms and presently an authority upon whales. At any 

 rate, whatever may be the varying requirements of individuals, 

 it is the interest of the whole commonwealth of naturalists to 

 have universal agreement as to the scientific names of the objects 

 with which they are collectively concerned. Agreement is the 

 principal thing, therefore get agreement. But to set the ships 

 sailing from all quarters of the globe to capture this one position 

 may not be easy. Each Agamemnon may have to sacrifice some 

 darling Iphigenia if the whole fleet is ever to reach the point 

 proposed. 



The International Congress of Zoology, which held its first 

 meeting in Paris in 1889, and has since then at triennial 

 intervals met in Moscow, Leyden, Cambridge, Berlin, and Berne, 

 from the very first took up this subject with the earnestness 

 which it deserves, and is still handling it with commendable 

 vigour and discretiou. If this Congress is to be the legislative 

 body for the future and our ultimate court of appeal on the 



