Introduction 



IX 



also for the descriptive legend. In numerous instances the descriptive 

 legend on a plate is quite erroneous, and has been repudiated by the 

 author in his text. Therefore until the text descriptive of a plate 

 appears, the names on the plate must be considered as nomina nuda, 

 and it is open to anyone to describe and rename such nomina nuda^r 



The following are the reasons for arranging the work under species 

 and not under genera : — 



1. No synonymy of species is attempted : that depends on the 

 idiosyncrasy of the systematist. 



2. Any attempt at specific synonymy would be opposed to progress, 

 as experience shows that vast changes may take place in a single year. 



3. An arrangement under species permits of a generic synonymy, 

 for by running the eye down the second column of the printed work, 

 it will be possible to ascertain some of the generic names with which 

 a particular trivial name has been connected. 



Although much time has been expended in trying to secure the 

 endless combinations and permutations of specific names, it is felt to 

 be impossible for one human being to attain completeness in this 

 direction by reason of the colossal amount of literature to be dealt 

 with. Those who wish to gain this desirable result are referred to such 

 works as the British Museum Catalogues of Birds, Marsupials, and 

 Fossil Fishes, Brady*s Report on the Foraminifera of the Challenger, 

 Della Torre's Hymenoptera, Bronn's Index Palaeontologicus, Stiles 

 and Hassairs Indexes to Worms, etc, where such attempts have been 

 carried to successful conclusion. Still, a great mass of references has 

 been here included which it is hoped will have secured all generic 

 and trivial names, and put the searcher on the track of a more com- 

 plete synonymy. But even in this direction the methods adopted by 

 many authors are such as to baffle the ingenuity of the recorder unless 

 he happen to be a specialist in each group. Objection may be raised 

 to those cases where the trivial name is referred back to a previous 

 genus without a reference being given. I plead for compassion. Many 

 hundreds of these cases have been pursued only to find that the 

 author has quoted a previous author wrongly either by name or for 

 the genus, and the time has been wasted. I am no longer young and, 

 regrettable though it may be to me to leave such references unverified, 

 I know my life is limited and I must press on. 



It is likely that many cases of apparently duplicate entries will 

 turn out to be so in fact, but the entries are given because it is by no 

 means clear from the diagnoses or remarks of the authors that they 



^ This paragraph is reprinted from vol. I. The practice now obtains that names com- 

 bined with recognisable figures must be accepted as valid. 



