﻿July, 1896.] 



NOMENCLATURE. 



13 



376, 1895) that by elimination Cunicuhis cauda longissima Brisson 

 { = Di2)iis alactaga Olivier) becomes tlie type. The name is thus unten- * 

 able for any of the Muridcv^ although Lemmus lemmus is one of the spe- 

 cies included by Brisson in the genus. 



Glis Erxleben, 1777 (Syst. Eegn. Anim., p. 358), contained marmota, 

 monax, canadensis^ tsclierkessicus^ zemniiy lemmus, migratorius, harabensis, 

 arenarius, lagnrus, and oeconomicus [—Mus songarus Pall.]. Although 

 this genus contains two lemmings, the name need not be considered, 

 since it is preoccupied by Glis Brisson, 1762. 



Arctomys^ Schreber, 1780 (Plates to Schreber's Siiugth., OCYII- 

 COIX, 1780), contained the following species: marmota, monax, hohac, 

 empetra, and citillus. Of these the first four belong to the g^mx^Arctomys 

 as now understood, and the last to Spermophiliis. The latter genus was 

 defined in 1823 by F. Cuvier (Dents des Mammiferes, 1823, 160-162, 

 255), who restricted the name Arctomys to the group to which it is now 

 applied. Arctomys Schreber is mentioned here only on account of: 



Lagomys Storr, 1780 (Prodromus Methodi Mammalium, p. 39). 

 Although Storr and Schreber bear the same apparent date, it appears 

 safe to take Schreber as the earlier, since Storr alludes to the genus 

 Arctomys, and refers directly to the 'Mus glareolus Schreberi,' a species 

 published at the same time.^ Storr evidently proposed Lagomys merely 

 as a substitute for Arctomys, a name which he considered inappropri- 

 ate, because the animals to which it was applied resemble hares rather 

 than bears.^ It is thus a synonym of Arctomys and requires no further 

 consideration.^ 



Myocastor Kerr, 1792 (Animal Kingdom, I, Mamm., Syst. Cat. Nos. 

 158-521), included the coyi)u and muskrat. Xo type was designated, 

 but subsequent elimination fixed the name on the coypu. (See p. 11.) 



Ondatra Link, 1795, (Zool. Beytrage, Yol. I, Pt. II, p. 76), contained 

 the same species as Myocastor Kerr, of which the name is thus a 

 synonym. 



Lemmus Link, 1795 (Zool. Beytrage, Vol. I, Pt. II, p. 75), has escaped 

 the notice of recent writers. Tague references to it occur in works 



^This name is apparently antedated by Marmota Blumenbacli CHandb. d. Natur- 

 gescb., 1779,*' fide Agassiz). I have been unable to A'erify the reference, and do not 

 know what species were included by Blumenbacb iu the genus. 



-On the dates of the parts of Schreber's Siiugthiere, see Sherborn, Proc. Zool. Soc, 

 London, 1891, 587. 



^'^Sequuntur in eundem fineni nomina specierum, laudato Pallas pariter ad mures 

 tractarum, quae mihi genus constituerunt, Lagomys, nec Arctomys dictum, nam 

 Lepori aptius quam Urso, comparari posse videantur. DicendiB species nomini- 

 bus 111. Pallas a^que adhibitis, hfiec sunt; M. arenarius, M. songarus, M. furun- 

 cuhis, M. cricetus, IT. accedula, 21. pliwns, IT. lagurus, M. gregalis, M. socialis, M. 

 oeconomus, M. rutilus, 21. glareolus Schreberi, 1[. monax, 21. marmota, 21. empetra, 21. 

 arctomys, 21. citillus, 2f. lemmus, 21. torquatus, 21. hudsonius, 21. taljnnus, 21. capensis, 

 21. aspalax, 21. typclus''' (sic). 



^Lagomys Storr of course antedates Lagomys Cuvier, 1800, the current name for the 

 pikas. 



