1^4 



<|iicsti(Mis of taxonoinic iioincnclatiirc, wliicli ccjiistitutcd one of 

 the principal ends of the Congress, were carried on under the 

 chairmanship of M. Charles Flaliault, director of the botanical 

 institute of Montpellier, France. The consideration of the nomen- 

 clature of cryptogams (outside of the Pteridophyta) was referred 

 to a commission to report to the next international congress five 

 years hence. The Congress then proceeded to vote upon various 

 nomenclatorial propositions, following the " Texte Synoptique " 

 arranged and published in advance by Dr. J. l^riquet of Geneva, 

 reporter general of the international nomenclature commission. 

 The following risimic of the action of the Congress regarding 

 some of the more important principles under discussion has been 

 extracted from a private letter and is subject to official modifica- 

 tions. I 753-1754. as the double initial date for the nomencla- 

 ture of vascular plants, was approved by a vote of 150 to 19. 

 The proposition to formulate a list of a generic names to be pre- 

 served regardless of all rules was favored by a vote of 133 to 36 

 and the preparation of such a list was referred to a committee. 

 The " Kew Rule" principle, involving the maintenance of the 

 first specific name combined with the accepted generic name, was 

 rejected, but with certain exceptions which were regarded as being 

 so much in the nature of a compromise that only two votes were 

 recorded in opposition to the articles that finally prevailed. 

 Duplicate binomials (r. g., Taraxacum Taraxacuui) were rejected 

 by a vote of 116 to 72. The idea of fixing the application of 

 generic and specific names by the " method of types " advocated 

 in the " American Code " was not accepted, an alternative propo- 

 sition being approved by a vote of 106 to 74, man}' of those who 

 voted with the minority favoring some method of " types " for 

 the future without retroactive provisions. By a vote of 105 to 

 88, it was voted, in substance, that after January i, 1908, the 

 publication of a new name must be accompanied by a diagnosis 

 in Latin. The actions of the Congress may be said to be, on 

 the whole, rather encouraging to the optimisticall)' inclined who 

 believe that a few more such international congresses at intervals 

 of five years may result in the establishment of a series of rules 

 of nomenclature which shall be tolerably final and stable. 



