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one must have noticed the utter confusion which prevails among ento- 

 mologists as to the correct form in which to write many of the names 

 of the commonest insects, especially as to the proper compounding of 

 these names. Some writers seem to have an antipathy for the little 

 character called a hyphen, and avoid the use of it on all occasions. 



Nevertheless there is a place for the hyphen, and most entomologists 

 use it far too sparingly, while many others use it without due consid- 

 eration of the principles that underlie the compounding of English 

 words. In the study of this subject and in the preparation of a list 

 of 3,500 of the compound vernacular names of insects. I have worked 

 out a system of simple rules, easy of application, yet in accordance 

 with language principles and the usages of the highest authorities. 



While it is not easy to present a subject like this before an audience, 

 still I think it can be made so plain that I submit some rules and prin- 

 ciples for guidance in the compounding of insect names, together with 

 numerous illustrations of their application. 



We may start with this general principle, taken from the Stand- 

 ard Dictionary: "Abnormal association of words generally ui<l><<if>s 

 unification in sense, and hence compounding in form." From this 

 principle we derive the following rules, the first one being general, 

 the succeeding ones more specific: 



W rite in compound form — 



1. Any pair of names or words in joint arbitrary use. 

 Examples: Currant-borer, leaf -roller, walking-stick. 



2. A general name used with any other name prefixed for specifica- 

 tion denoting (a) food-plant, (b) host, or (c) prey. 



Examples: 



a. Food-plant: Apple-louse, cabbage- worm, fruit-worm, onion- 



thrips, potato-beetle, plum-curculio. 



b. Host: Dog-flea, horse-fly, ox-warble, turkey-gnat. 



c. Prey: Ant-lion, bee-hawk, mosquito-hawk. 



3. A general name used with any other names prefixed for specifi- 

 cation denoting (a) similarity. {]>) habit, (c) habitat, (//) characteristic. 



Examples : 



a. Similarity: Buffalo-gnat, comma-butterfly, ichneumon-fly, 



lady-bird, mole-cricket, zebra-caterpillar, walking-stick. 



b. Habit: Army-worm, burying-beetle, cut-worm, flea-beetle, 



kissing- bug. measuring- worm, migratory -locust, soldier- 

 bug, saw-fly (or sawfly), tent-caterpillar, tumble-bug. web- 

 worm. 



c. Habitat: Ground-beetle, house-fly, tree-cricket, tree-hopper. 



water-boatman. 



d. Characteristic: Blister-beetle, bot-fly, canker-worm, gall-fly, 



scale-insect. 



