S. H. Scudder— Canons of Nomenclature. 851 
for instance, he designates the known genera to be embraced in 
a proposed family, he actually defines his group much better 
than he could do by a specification of its characters, since we 
have probably not yet been favored with any description of a 
natural family which gives everything which is characteristic 
and omits all that is not. 
ommendations. —1. “That assemblages of genera, termed 
families, should be uniformly named by adding the termination 
tion -ine. 
case, it is evident that this recommendation cannot have the force 
of a law, nor be allowed any retrospective action. Otherwise 
these rules, or any other reasonable ones (however generally 
they tnay be accepted), are powerless to assign to any higher 
natural group a fixed and unalterable name; but the group in 
question would receive a different name from different authors, 
according as they considered it a subfamily or an assemblage 
of still another nature. 
2. All monomial collective names should be derived from 
as ay e9 have a plural form. A 
- Only the surname of the author who first proposed a grou 
need follow its name, whether the group be a in its pn i 
or in a modified sense; but when it is desirable to indicate at 
the same time its recognized, altered limits, the surname of the 
Writer who first proposed the accepted circumscription may 
follow in a parenthesis. : 
In systematic nomenclature, the object is to register titles, not 
to gratify pride, and the names of authors are appended for con- 
venience, not fame; the question of justice or injustice has no 
place here; and yet the ge recommendation ought to be sat- 
\sfactory to those who view this matter in a different light. 
