The American Naturalist. 



[February, 



the repeated use of the same personal name, in the hope, apparently, 

 that it will stick in some one place, and some obscure man can be 

 honored in the end. There are a goodly number however which have 

 not even this semblance of an excuse. Kuntze gives a list of one 

 hundred and fifty personal genus-names which have been repeatedly 

 and differently applied in this way— two of them to seven different 

 groups, two to six groups and fourteen to five ! As he says, this is a 

 fearful list. 



In order to furnish those who are desirous of honoring some person 

 at all hazards a means of so doing without imperiling nomenclature 

 he explains a number of devices by means of which a personal name 

 can be made in so many ways that hereafter there should be no diffi- 

 culty in providing even for such numerous families as the Smiths and 

 Joneses. He gives a long list of precedents of endings, prefixes and 

 combinations: some very good, some very bad, and a few so atrocious 

 that even he is compelled to exclaim at them. He also gives examples 

 of anagrams and translations— some of them very good— and of 

 " zusammengezogene" personal names, of which Pahlomagunsia 0. K. 

 is a fair sample. But this is not all. He thinks the termination 

 "ago" when joined to a personal name very euphonious and gives 

 some examples: Pritzelago O.K. To him "ago" suggests "agere" 

 and seems suitable to a compiler. So he would sa V : Steudelago, 

 Pfeifferago etc. An anatomist would get a «toma" attached to his 

 name. (Does this refer to the fact that the person honored would be 

 likely to cut him after making such a name?) Linne sometimes 

 attached inda to the generic name of an Indian plant. So inda, afra 

 amra and asia he considers proper terminations for genera dedicated 

 to travelers or botanists in India, Africa, America and Asia. He 

 makes for us on this theory Watsonamara O K., Schweinfurthafra K. 

 and many others. Fries made a genus " Aaretis" for M. A. Aretis. 

 lhis is all well enough for once, but Kuntze takes him up with "Pa- 

 saccardoa " O K. (for P. A. Saccardo) and outdoes him with a suggested 

 ' birhookera." I do not believe such a collection of monstrosities 

 was ever brought together before, the names fairly pack two pages of this 

 section. It would be better that every man he so "honors" be for- 

 gotten, than that his name be made ridiculous forever by being joined 

 to "carpum " or "fungus" after the maimer of " JVrkifunW K.; 

 Henningsocarpum " O K.; " Philipimalva " o K etc ' The no^ibili- 

 ties of the field he has opened up f„ r „s are indeed \rreaf, wit.ie*: 

 Smithia; Smithago ; John.smithotoma : hrsmithia f.j~ < i. Smith;) 

 Smithialga; Smithodendrum. I dwell <.n il i. Um ■ --, ii -eenis to me 



