42 THE YOUNG 



placing the family name first is an 

 advantage, for with reference to our- 

 selves we always adopt that method, 

 when we want to classify the names. 

 In a Directory, in the Index to a Mer- 

 chant's Ledger, in our own List of 

 Contributors, we place the family name 

 first, aud the specific (or sur-)name 

 afterwards. Even if we were to give a 

 list of animals in an index, under 

 their English names, we would do the 

 same. We may say " The Greasy 

 Fritillary," or " The Heath Fritillary," 

 but if drawing up an index, would 

 place them all under F 



Fritillary Glanville 

 „ Greasy 

 „ Heath 

 exactly as if their scientific names 

 w T ere used 



Melitsea Athalia 



„ Aurinia — Artemis 



,, Cinxia, 

 Now it must be remembered that the 

 second name belongs exclusively to the 

 species, the first is common to the 

 family ; as with ourselves, the first 

 belongs to the individual, and the 

 latter to the family. We expect we 

 have made this clear enough. 



The object of having names at all, 

 is, of course, that others may know 

 what is meant when any particular 

 species is spoken of. That when John 

 Smith is named, no one shall imagine 

 Tom Jones is intended. If we use the 

 name Artemis, and everyone else does 

 the same, that name answers the de- 

 sired purpose — everyone knows what is 

 meant. But if some use the name 



NATURALIST. 



Artemis and others Aurinia, and neither 

 knows that both names refer to the 

 same species, misunderstanding and 

 confusion necessarily occur. Now 

 Aurinia is a species that occurs else- 

 where than in Britain, and we will 

 suppose that a British Entomologist is 

 describing the species for the first time, 

 with the idea that it was an entirely 

 new insect. After describing it he 

 gives it the name Artemis ; and if he 

 was right, in supposing that it was a 

 new species, the name Artemis w T ould 

 be a good name. By and bye it is dis- 

 covered that the same butterfly had 

 been taken in France, or Germany, 

 some years before it was taken here ; 

 and that a French or German Ento- 

 mologist, had described it under the 

 name Aurinia, when it was first found 

 there. Aurinia has been used in those 

 countries, and Artemis in this, for 

 several years before it was known that 

 the insect was the same. What shall 

 be done in such a case ? Are we to go 

 on calling ours Artemis, while it would 

 be called Aurinia elsewhere ? or shall 

 we abandon our name and adopt 

 theirs ? There are many of us like our 

 young friend, who would think it " a 

 shame" for us to yield, and adopt a 

 "foreign name." But science is cos- 

 mopolitan, and Nature does not recog- 

 nise the limits of Political Geography. 

 It is necessary, therefore, to have a 

 general law, that will apply equally in 

 all cases, and not consider any insular 

 or national prejudice. All must be 

 bound by such a law, for it is for the 

 advantage of all. The law that has 



