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scientific knowledge. These are in a great measure correlative. 

 If things are called by inappropriate or misapplied names, con- 

 fusion of ideas is almust certain to ensue. The earliest recorded 

 case of names assigned tu objects was that of our first parent, 

 who named the animals brought to him for that purpose by the 

 Great Creator, and it was remarkable that even many of the let- 

 ters of the Hebrew alphabet were borrowed from sensible objects, 

 and in mauy cases bore a visible resemblance to them. 



A further advantage from such a mode of scientific nomen- 

 clature was the aid thus afforded to memory. This was evidently 

 in the mind of the great Danish naturalist, Linnceus, the leading 

 idea in whose system of nomenclature was, that each object should 

 be designated binomial] y, that is, by two terms, the one of 

 which expressed the genus, and the other the species, to which 

 it belonged. This is exemplified in the Linnoean classification of 

 plants by means of their stamens and pistils, so well known. 

 Cuvier adopted a similar system of classification in the animal 

 kingdom, and with equal success. 



If care be taken in the original choice of classical terms 

 for scientific purposes, not only is the memory aided, but correct 

 knowledge ma} r be imparted. Examples of this may be found in 

 such terms as Yolvox globator, or Phytelephas macrocarpa. 



In contrast to such properly chosen terms, several faulty 

 methods of nomenclature were instanced and disapproved, as, 

 viz. : — 



1. Names derived from persons. In some cases such may 

 be allowable, such as the well-known genus of plants named 

 Banksia, from Sir Joseph Banks. In the family of the Navi- 

 culece we find a genus Dickieia, from our former townsman 

 D. Dicky, and a species of the algae named Ilincksia, which we 

 may tolerate, or perhaps approve, yet the practice, generally, 

 should be avoided. 



2 Names derived from chance, or formed from classical terms, 

 in defiance of rule and custom. The well-known case of the 

 flint boulders in the chalk formation, and such terms as Craxirex, 

 Huhua, Yuhina, and Escholtz, not to mention such monstrosities, 

 as — 



Chirostrongylostonos, Opetiorynchus, Brachypodioides, Theco- 

 dontosaurus, Enaliolimnosaurus, Crocodilocephalioides. 



