230 [October, 



of a change such as would be here involved. We may fall back 

 upon the person who applied names to hotli species. Apparently 

 this was done by Van der Linden, who, in his " Monograph " in 1825, 

 applied the same specific names for the two insects that are now in 

 common use. But I think he does not show that he had critically 

 studied the Linuaean descriptions, and I venture to believe that had 

 he done so he would have reserved the term " eenea " for the species 

 he named " flavomaculata,'^ for Linne distinctly had the latter in view 

 as his type form. 



Hagen in his " Synonymia," and Charpentier in his " Lib. Europ.," 

 followed Yan der Linden, but both called attention to the apparent 

 discrepancy. 



And now as to the Linngean Collection. There exists in it a 

 specimen with a label " cenea'^ in Linne's hand that is distinctly a ^ 

 of -flavomacidata, Y. d. Linden ; and below it is another specimen, on the 

 same kind of pin, but with no label, that is as distinctly a $ cenea of 

 Y. d. Linden and modern authors. De Selys (" Hevue des Odonates )" 

 supposes there may have been an accidental changing of the label ; 

 but there is no necessity for such a supposition, for the collection only 

 exemplifies the intention according to the detailed descriptions by 

 Linne, but which was left vague in Syst. JSTat., ed. x, where the name 

 was first given. 



EECAPITULATION. 



In 1746 Linne, before he adopted the binomial system, described 

 two insects, now placed in different genera, as distinct species. 



In 1759 he united them as one, and applied the specific name 

 (snea for the collective " species." 



In 1761 he described the first of his two species of 1746, that 

 now known as -fiavomaculafa, as cenea, and described that now known 

 as cenea as an unnamed variety of the type. 



In 1767 he adopted the same course as in 1759. 



RESULT. 



The present application of the name ^nea is in direct opposition 



to the views of Linne as expressed in his detailed descriptions of 



1746 and 1761, and in order to maintain it we have to fall back 



upon an implied " rule " of nomenclature upon which all are not 



agreed, In legal phraseology there has been " a miscarriage of 



justice." 



Lewisham, London : 



September, 1898. 



