Garman.] 170 [March 19, 



cannot hope to make an arrangement that will be permanent ; 

 consequently it is as well to start with the understanding that the 

 order of the letters means little more than that the forms occur in 

 the same order in the list or synonymy, which order may be changed 

 in various ways by a genetic or a chronological arrangement. 

 Thus far we have dealt only with varieties or subspecies. Suppose 

 the specialist to discover that (C) A. tigr. is composed of several 

 subvarieties. What change shall be made in the name that it may 

 at once show to the expert that he is dealing with one of several 

 local races, and at the same time point out to those whose knowl- 

 edge is not so special, that it is a species with which they may be 

 acquainted under the specific name of the common spotted sala- 

 mander west of the Mississippi Valley? Suppose farther that a 

 student has named one form nebrascensis, another has noted a form 

 as hallowelli, and a third one as parvimaculatus (possibly through 

 misinterpretation of individual variation) ; they can be designated 

 (C a ), (C b ) and (C c ) Amblystoma tigrinum. A further subdivision 

 could be marked (C al ), (C a2 ) A. tigrinum, Green; Baird, and, 

 again, subdivision of these (C al/ ), (C al// ), etc., the equivalent poly- 

 nomial for one of which might stand as spelled out, Amblystoma 

 tigrinum mavortium hallowelli maculatissimum suspectum. The 

 advantage of the contraction (C al// ), Amblystoma tigrinum, for 

 general literature is apparent. Again, varieties exist which pos- 

 sess characters of one or more other varieties. A case of this 

 character can be marked by placing together the symbols of those 

 varieties to construct that of the new one, thus : (AB) or (AE) 

 Amblystoma tigrinum or in more complicated case of relationship, 

 thus : (B a C bl ) Amblystoma tigrinum, and so on. Though the 

 symbol is for the benefit of the specialist, the designation of the 

 species remains the same in all cases for the advantage of the general 

 student. The authorities for the genus and species are retained as 

 in common use. Should it be desirable to note the responsibility 

 for subdivision and combination, it can be done thus: (B) A. 

 tigrinum (Green, Baird) X, Y ; X being responsible for the variety 

 and Y for the combination. 



Enough has been said to indicate the possibilities of the method. 

 Among its special points are these : the name of the species, a 

 form more likely to be recognized by the general or ordinary ob- 

 server, retains a more convenient size, is more permanent and at 



