228 The American Naturalist. [March, 



Linne, and have it yet to do before they make so long a leap 

 backward." 



The remainder of his argument is, in effect, as follows: The genus- 

 nomenclature before Linne was very crude. Barbarous vernacular 



abounded to an intolerable extent. In his Flora Lapponica, Linne" 

 outlined to some extent, but only to some extent, the system and 

 reform which he introduced in his Systema Natures of 1735. After 

 1735 the changes which Linne made in genus-nomenclature were for 

 the most part capricious and made to confound or punish his contem- 

 poraries. It cannot be said that any of his works has been taken as 

 the starting point. He made many changes for various reasons dur- 

 ing his life, and his pupils and editors took his latest changes and 

 handed them down, though some of them have not been followed. 

 The foundation of modern genus nomenclature was permanently laid 

 in 1735. All changes thereafter were in the details only. For these 



rightful claim to be the starting point." "There' i>," he .-ays, "no 

 rightful or moral ground for pushing aside the first and fundamental 

 work of Linne." Accordingly he lays down two rules: 



"1. Limit's Systema Natures, editio prima prineept, 1735, stands as 

 the first consistently carried out Tinman system of nomenclature and 

 system of genera ; the work of 1753 for the first consistently carried 

 out Linnean nomenclature for species." 



As there is some doubt as to the exact time of the year at which the 

 work of 1735 appeared, he adds : " 2. In order to have an undoubt- 

 edly firm basis and a certain point of time for the beginning of our 

 nomenclature, I have cut out from competition all the publications of 

 other authors appearing in 1735 and bearing 1735 on the title page, 

 and have allowed it (the competition) to begin first with the end of 

 1735— beginning of 1736, on the foundation of Linne", Systema I." 



Admitting that there is no M moral" ground for pushing aside the 



cal grounds for so doing. This question he does not sufficiently con- 

 sider. Many of Linne's later names, whatever motive may have led 

 to their introduction, are gnat iiuMnivements noon his earlier ones. 



