for Systematic Biology. 279 



note of interrogation. Our aim is simply to record the form with 

 a designation which expresses only what we can ascertain about 

 the facts. 



To this generic name [or the first, i.e. lowest divisional name of 

 which we feel sure] is added the district in which the locality occurs. 

 This we shall see when we come to describe the method of work 

 is a most important point. In the meantime we may note that 

 a geographical distinguishing name is better than a morpho- 

 logical name, which is nearly always misleading, for it emphasises 

 a character the value of which we know nothing about ; while 

 purely trivial names would be, as I shall presently show, mere en- 

 cumbrances. 



The Numerator of the fraction means the distinguishing 

 number of the form from the district. It might have been A, B, 

 C, running on after 26 to a, fi, y. This number (or letter) never 

 changes and forms part of the fixed designation of the form, so 

 long as we need to treat it as an isolated unit. 



The Denominator is not a necessary part of the designation 

 but is added to give a little more information. It indicates the 

 number of forms known from the district up to date. This will 

 have many uses, but it need not be regarded as essential for the 

 purposes of reference. We may regard the designation of the 

 form here proposed as practically the same as that adopted by a 

 good collector who is not yet in a position to classify his finds ; 

 this is exactly the position we are in, with regard at least to the 

 difficult and little known groups. 



In the second line, and not forming any part of the name or 

 designation, come the exact locality, the geological formation 

 etc. if the specimen is fossil, and other information such as name 

 of Collector, or Expedition, or Museum where the specimen or 

 specimens are preserved. 



In the third line come the references to earlier descriptions 

 either of the same, or of what appear to have been the same, 

 form. 



Then would follow the detailed description. 



These descriptions with the figures will form the bulk of the 

 work, and in the case of m}^ work on the corals they will constitute 

 the Catalogue of the Collection. They will be arranged geo- 

 graphically, that is, as the forms appear to be distributed over the 

 surface of the planet. This at any rate cannot be wrong, whereas 

 the usual plan of arranging them according to variation of 

 structure may be. For instance, I arranged the Turbinarians in 

 the second vol. of the Madreporarian Catalogue according to their 

 growth form. I am now told by Mr Pace, that his observations 

 on a reef where Turbinarians were specially plentiful, convinced 

 him that the form depended largely upon the presence or absence 



