— 14— 



specimens. It is essential that such intergradation and variation 

 should have been brought about entirely through natural causes, 

 not by man's influence. 



Accident of priority in naming has frequently resulted in 

 cases like the following: A and B are species and each has two 

 sub-species, for instance, a northern and a southern. The north- 

 ern form of A was named first and is generally considered as a 

 species with a southern sub-species, variety, race or form. But 

 with B its southern form was named first, so that its later named 

 northern relative becomes its sub-species, though the values in the 

 two cases may be equal. As a matter of fact two sub-species, at 

 least, of equal value as regards names, but of possibly very un- 

 equal values as regards characters, numbers of individuals, dis- 

 tribution and ecology, must compose every non monotypic species. 

 Therefore such a species is the sum of its component sub-species 

 and its characters those common to all. 



Unfortunately early views of the values of species and sub-spe- 

 cies (varieties) were very different from our present advanced con- 

 ceptions, and this old-time influence dominates much of our pres- 

 ent nomenclature. Local variations, due largely and often entirely 

 to man's interference with the topography, and freaks and mon- 

 strosities, have been often calmly described with Latin names. 

 Little effort, and very often none, has been given to determining 

 the ecological values of a supposed new form ; and the ambition 

 of the systematist to name something has frequently forced anew 

 birth where maturer consideration might have revealed the true 

 status. 



Moore's volumes of "Nature Printed Ferns" are familiar 

 examples of a perverted use of Latin trinomials, a practice too 

 readily followed in America, and even recently, as indicated by 

 the editor. 



A solution of the evil is simple. It is to discard entirely all 

 trinomials and quadrinomials based on freaks or mere local varia- 

 tions; they should have no place in a scientific Latin nomencla- 

 ture. It follows that all valid described forms should be consid- 

 ered as species until proved to be intergrade; intergradation to be 

 shown by specimens intermediate in character and geographical 

 position — in fact by intermediate values. It is of course interest- 

 ing and valuable to call attention to variants and to study their 

 causes for existence, but it is unnecessary to burden our Latin 

 nomenclature with names for them. 



