1896.] Editor’s Table. 925 
EDITOR’S TABLE. 
The rules of zodlogical nomenclature formulated by Strickland and 
adopted by the British Association for the Advancement of Science, in 
1842 have been observed by most zodlogists ever since. They are 
eminently fair, and conducive to the best interests of science, and in 
broad contrast in certain details to some individual opinions which 
have been promulgated in recent years. 
There is a minor point in which it seems to us that the Stricklandian 
rule might be amended, and we recommend it to the consideration of the 
international zoological congress committee on nomenclature. This is 
the question of the presence or absence of the annectant i in the root 
of proper names of the second declension—to which most proper names 
belong. Shall we write Boggsus or Boggsius: Keenus or Keenius ; 
Levius or Leviius, etc.? The British rule provides (Proceeds. Brit. 
Ass. Adv. Sci., 1842, p. 115) that after a consonant the termination of 
proper names shall be us gen. i; while after a vowel the i shall be in- 
serted, so that we have ius, gen. ii. 
This rule, however, does not exactly conform to the usage of the Rom- 
ans, which was not regular. Thus they wrote Catullus, Catulli, but Sal- 
lustius, Sallustii ; Corvus, Corvi; Horatius, Horatii, ete. After vowels 
the custom also varied, but generally the i was omitted since it is un- 
necessary on the score of euphony. The Romans were, as well known, 
guided by euphony in the matter, hence the irregularity. It is evident 
that we should be guided by the same principle, but that in doing so 
we should endeavor to formulate a rule which shall have no exceptions. 
Naturalists cannot be expected to remember exceptions in a subsidiary 
matter like nomenclature. 
The reversal of the Stricklandian rule would apparently accord best 
with the spirit of Latin word composition. That is, an i should be 
inserted after the root of all proper names of the second declension 
which ends in a consonant, and no i should be inserted where the root 
terminates in a vowel. Names of the first class never sound badly with 
the i, while most of them,—notably those whose roots end in labials and 
dentals, do sound badly. A vowel precedes the useuphoniously. Thus 
Dana, Danaus; Perrine, Perrinius; Secchi, Secchius; Gaudry, Gaud- 
rius. Those ending in o and u are not of the second declension, unless 
made so by the addition of the consonant v, as Sello, Sellovius; Yar- 
row, Y arrovius. 
