174 



THE AMERICAN NATURALIST 



[Vol. XLVII 



occasion to use 8 for no-spotting. We simply leave out 

 all reference to spotting, and we shall understand that 

 there is none, but that the normal condition prevails. 



To be very explicit, my proposals for simplification of 

 Mendelian terminology are three : 



1. To abolish the current dual terminology and use only 

 one symbol, where a single variation from the normal is 

 involved. 



2. To use a small letter to designate the factor respon- 

 sible for a variation which is recessive in crosses with the 

 normal. 



3. To use a capital letter to designate the factor respon- 

 sible for a variation which is dominant in crosses with the 

 normal. 



These proposals were made in substance in publica- 

 tions of the year 1909 and are here renewed under en- 

 couragement of Morgan's suggestive paper. Let us see 

 how they would work if applied to the cases enumerated 

 by Morgan. The eye color series described by Morgan, 

 I. c, page 13, involving three recessive mutations, 

 follows : 



Red normal PYE 



: 



The revised terminology is obviously shorter and 

 simpler. It is obtained by merely omitting the capital 

 letters from Morgan's terminology, letters which stand 

 only for negations. The symbols used are suggestive of 

 the names employed for the various color categories of 

 eyes, whereas in Morgan's terminology the most con- 

 spicuous symbols are suggestive only of other categories 

 than the true one. 



The revised terminology is more convenient than 



