— 9° — 



A thorough investigation of the locality convinces me that 

 there is not another specimen lurking in the vicinity. Skeptics to 

 the theory of hybridity can assuredly find food for thought in the 

 environment described. Nature does not tell us all she knows, 

 but teaches by hints and half truths. Is it not a trifle presump- 

 tuous to deny her the ability of producing naturally that which 

 can be done artificially ? 



Pittsford Mills, Vt. 



GENERIC AND SPECIFIC NAMES. 



IN the matter of specific names, I fully agree with Mr. George 

 E. Davenport and other conservative men in adopting the 

 views of Dr. Asa Gray, our most distinguished North Ameri- 

 can botanist. His idea was that, while a plant can have but one 

 name, this name must consist of both a generic and specific to be 

 complete. A specific alone carries with it no special significance, 

 as it may be used in several different genera and be valid in each. 

 Take for instance the specific name gracilis. We have Pellcea 

 gracilis, Gymno gramma gracilis, Cyathea gracilis and so on. 

 The combination of generic and specific, therefore, being neces- 

 sary to constitute a real name, it follows that we must use this 

 combination entire as it was originally published by the author 

 who first put the two together. If we use the generic name of one 

 author and the specific of another (unless the former author has 

 used it also), we are simply making a hybrid name. Thus Lin- 

 naeus, either misunderstanding the true character of his own 

 genera, or else mistaking the character of the fern, called a cer- 

 tain species Polypodium platyneuron. Thirty-six years later 

 Aiton, seeing the true nature of the species, transferred it to' 

 Asplenium and. called it A. ebeneum ; and as that was the first 

 time it had been published as an Asplenium we must use the full 

 name given it by Aiton, and not hybridize it by using his generic 

 and going back to Linnaeus for his specific. This was Dr. Gray's 

 method of dealing with nomenclature, and it is certainly the 

 common sense way. It does away with the fad of searching 

 through obscure books to find an earlier specific than the one in 

 use — a proceeding which has resulted in such endless confusion 

 and instability in the science. It also prevents such meaningless 

 repetitions as Phegopteris Phegopteris and Scolopendrium Sco- 

 lopendriufn. — B. D. Gilbert in "North American Pteridophyies." 



