ZOOLOGICAL NOMENCLATURE. 333 



mentum Entomologiae Systematicae,' 1798, are enumerated, and 

 as they are accompanied by lists of species most of wliicli were 

 previously known, the genera themselves must date from 1795 

 instead of 1798." She adds that " this has already been brought 

 out by Sherborn in his ' Index Animalium,' 1902." 



When Weber's book itself is examined, ib seems to be the 

 most extraordinary ground that ever was taken for throwing 

 synonymy into needless confusion. In his preface he makes 

 this statement : — " The discerning naturalist Daldorf will shortly 

 publish a very important work on the Agonata. Meantime in 

 this Nomenclator I have so named and denoted them, as the 

 celebrated Fabricius w^ill hereafter accept them. But more 

 distinct characters of these genera will be set forth in the book 

 presently to be published by Daldorf." Further on he says : — 

 " In these Agonata you will find a quantity of new species. 

 AVith these and others, which Fabricius, since the publication of 

 his ' Entomologia Systematica,' has newly described, and will 

 by and bye publish in the form of a supplement, he has been 

 pleased to supply me, whereby the jNTomenclator has been 

 augmented with many new species." Weber's catalogue, it may 

 be said, is confessedly the work of a busybody. He w^as allowed 

 freely to examine the collections of his friends Fabricius and 

 Daldorf. From them he borrowed provisional manuscript names 

 of genera and species, and hastened to inform the world that such 

 and such systematic and nominal changes \\ere about to be 

 adopted by his distinguished friends. Does this prediction, 

 which in several instances was falsified by the event, attach any 

 status or disability to those undefined generic names about which 

 his false prophecies were made ? In 1801, when Weber wrote 

 on genera of insects which he had himself established *, he 

 makes no claim or allusion to any genus of the Agonata. It 

 would have been strange indeed, in a work which he dedicates to 

 Fabricius with the most aftectionate expressions, had he claimed 

 genera which could only have been his by a scandalous theft 

 from his much-eulogized friend. In the Index to the ' Entomo- 

 logia Systematica,' publit^hed in 1796, there is a half contemptuous 

 footnote -reference to the ' Nomenclator.' The Index itself 

 mentions the new generic names about to be used in the ' Sup- 



* ' Friderici Weberi Soc. pliys. lenens. adscr. Observationes entomologiciE, 

 contioentes novorum quse condidit generum characteres, et niiper detectarum 

 specierum descriptiones.' Kilite, mdccci. 



