COMMENTARY. 53 



specifica ubi nullum genus." " This evidently showSj" says 

 M. Agassiz, " the importance that was attached by Linnaeus 

 to the union of the specific with the generic name. For no 

 one to be harmedj as desired by the learned Bnglishmenj a 

 new authority ought to be quoted for every new combination 

 of names. Now, I do not hesitate saying that Linnaeus 

 would have formally rejected the expression Tyrdnnus cri- 

 nitus L. (sp.). He had put this species in his genus Musci- 

 carpa, and he would have kept it there as long as no doubts 

 had arisen." ..." The method proposed by the learned 

 Englishmen," says again M. Agassizj " suggests the idea 

 that works undertaken with a view of constituting genera 

 are less valuable than those undertaken for the sake of dis- 

 tinguishing species, which would not advance science." . . . 

 " An excessive inconvenience would likewise result from 

 this : we could not turn back to the original sources without 

 much fastidious labour. How are we, in effect, to find out 

 in Linnaeus's works what he says oiMusdcarpa crinita, with- 

 out being told under what genus he has spoken of it ?^ And 

 how inextricable will the synonymy become if we have, some 

 time afterwards, a Tyrannus crinitus L. (sp.), according to 

 Swainson, and a Tyrannus crinitus L. (sp.), according to an- 

 other author, -who will have confounded some new species with 

 the old crinita ! We must then say, Tyrannus crinitus, L. 

 {sp.) Swains., and Tyrannus crinitus, L. (sp.) x." Agassiz 

 concludes by begging the authors of the new method, in 

 behalf of the interests of science, which they have at heart 

 as much as he has himself, "ut propositum deserant, schisma 

 novum in scientiam non introducant, systema vero Linneei 

 simplicissimum illud, et erroribus babylonicaeque in nomen- 

 clatura confusioni omnium minime obnoxium aequo animo 



' The advocates of the method would perhaps say to this that Lin- 

 naean tables might be drawn up by species. Thus, at the word crinitus 

 would be found references to all the pages of zoological and botanical 

 works in which Linnaeus has made a species bearing the name oi crini- 

 tus, in much the same way as if, in a directory, iudividuals were to be 

 classed under their Christian names. We admit that such a thing 

 might be done, but it would be very inconvenient. 



