$96 SYSTEM OF INSECTS. 
admirable pattern exhibited in his genus Phaneus* were 
followed, it would not call for more than 2000—could 
the trifling difficulty occasioned sometimes by the disco- 
very of anew group, be set against the advantage of hav- 
ing only 2000 names to commit to memory instead of 
10,000? But if, after all, it is judged best to name sub- 
genera, M. Savigny’s excellent plan of distinguishing 
them by a plural termination in @ would diminish the 
weight of the above objection, and might be used with 
advantage. 
When the component parts of any minor group differ 
from another,—for the most part in important characters, 
indicating some tangible difference in their habits and 
economy, and confirmed by peculiarities in their larvee ; 
and these differences run through the whole, except that 
as usual they grow weaker as it is passing off to another ; 
especially where they are striking in the centre or type 
of the group,—this is always alegitimate genus: but where 
the characters assumed are very slight, and nothing pe- 
culiar in its habits, economy or larva, warrant such di- 
stinction, it ought not to be conferred. 
vil. I must next say a word concerning species and 
varieties. A species is a natural object whose differences 
from those most nearly related to it had their origin 
when it came from the hands of its Crravor; while 
those that characterize a variety, have been produced 
since that event. As we do not know the value and 
weight of the momenta by which climate, food, and other 
supposed fortuitous circumstances operate upon animal 
* Hor. Entomolog. 125—. 
