33 



his carp-genus (Cyprinus) there were no less than 25 

 different names in use, for his herring-genus (Clupea) 

 14, and so on. Since his day, it is true, these genera 

 have been subdivided, but at the time it was essential 

 to collect and combine the forms in groups, for the 

 purpose of obtaining appropriate unity and clear ar- 

 rangement; all the more so, as some of the names in 

 use had been promiscuously allotted to fishes of the 

 most widely differing genera. 



Another practice of his predecessors that Artedi 

 severely condemned was the using of one name to de- 

 signate several different animals. To give some exam- 

 ples: Canis and Vulpes had been employed, not only for 

 dog and fox, but also for shark; while the shark, which 

 was thus sometimes called Vulpes, was at other times 

 named Simia, ape. Lepus, hare, signified sometimes also 

 lump-fish; for the gurnard, of the Trigla genus, the 

 bird-names Coruus, raven, Hinindo, swallow, Cuculus, 

 cuckoo, Milvus, kite, Accipiter, hawk, &c. had to do duty; 

 Passer, sparrow, was also a name for the flounder, while 

 Rana, frog, was applied likewise to the fishing-frog or 

 devil-fish. 1 A more complete confusion is scarcely to 

 be imagined, but at one stroke it was swept away and 

 order and consistency were established in its place. 



In the choice of names Artedi was throughout very 

 strict; he rejected all such as were employed at the 

 same time for plants or other familiar objects, house- 

 hold utensils and so on; he only approved, indeed, 

 names of Latin or Greek origin, while even of those he 

 refused to recognise dimunitive formations and deriva- 

 tives in -oides, and could not sanction the use of sub- 

 stantivised adjectives or forms latinised in modern times 

 and not found in the works of standard authors; he 

 objected, too, to such names as denote place of origin, 

 like Sardina from Sardinia, Sturio from Asturia, &c. 



1 Among other names employed to designate fishes ma}' be here 

 added the following: — Elephas, elefant, Musiela, marten, Vespertilio, 

 bat, Alauda, lark, Aquila, eagle, Laws, sea-mew, Pauo, peacock, Sco- 

 lopax, woodcock, Turdus, thrush, Gryllus, cricket, &c, &c. 



Peter Artedi. 3 



