No. 636] SHORTER ARTICLES AND DISCUSSION 



89 



THE "ONE-LETTER" RULE FOR GENERIC NAMES IN 

 ZOOLOGY 



Rules of nomenclature as they affect scientific names in zool- 

 ogy would no doubt sei-ve their real purpose best and give more 

 general satisfaction if used, not in an absolute sense, but with 

 discretion. But there are those to whom a rule is a rule to be 

 rigidly applied, and the results are such that the question is 

 raised whether if we must abide by rules, we cannot have better 

 ones. A nomenclatorial rale used by the American Ornithol- 

 ogists' Union has raised this question in the mind of the writer, 

 and attention is here called to it, not in a controversial way, but 

 merely to insure that the other side of the ease is presented. 

 If such questions are ever taken up again by an International 

 Commission it is desirable that data and opinions on the vexed 

 points be available for consideration. In the recently published^ 

 "Seventeenth Supplement to the American Ornithologists' Union 

 Cheek List of North American Birds," prepared by the Com- 

 mittee on Nomenclature, we find the following statements relat- 

 ing to certain generic names : 



Oxyura Bonaparte 1828 is considered preoccupied by Oxyurtis Swain- 

 son 1827 (p. 446). 



Nrjctala Brelim, from whatever date taken, is preoccupied by Nyctalus 

 Bowditch 1825, and jEgolius Kaup, 1829, is preoccupied hy^golia 

 Biilberg, 1820 (p. 447). 



Bucephala Baird 1858 is preoccupied by Bucephalus Baer 1827 

 (p. 446). 



Dendrocopos Koch, July, 1876, is preoccupied by Dendrocopus Vieil- 

 lot. April, 1876 (p. 448). 

 But 



Ileteroscrlus Baird 1858 is not invalidated by Heteroscelis Latreille 

 1825 fp. 443). 



Ty'n Billhertr (1828) is not preoccupied by Tyta BiUberg (1820) 

 (p. 447). 

 and 



Moris Leach . . . adopted because considered neither a nomen nudum 

 nor preoccupied by Morum Bolton, altliontrh Morm Vieillot . . . having 

 a termination diff(>rin.o- merely in arninniaf ical .srender from Morum 

 Bolten is thereby invalidated (p. 441). 



1 The Aiil', Vol. 37, No. 3, July, 1920, pp. 439^49. 



