58 



THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



help to them an uniform termination 

 of names might be may perhaps ask 

 why it could not be adopted in all 

 cases ? AVe reply, the state of our 

 knowledge at present forbids it. There 

 are some things that we do know, 

 though they may be few. We do 

 know that Pier is Brassicce is a butterfly ; 

 but what is Uranius ripheus ? We do 

 know that Mamestra Brassicce is a noc- 

 tua ; but what of Diloba cceruleocephcda 1 

 These are cases where no uniformity 

 has been attempted, but others may be 

 given. Stain ton places Sa/rrothripa 

 reoayana first among the Tortrices, in 

 in which case the termination is 

 appropriate. Dr. Staudinger places it 

 first among the Bombyces, a group 

 for which an uniform termination has 

 never been attempted. Again, Stain- 

 ton places the genus Nolo, as the sole 

 representative of the family Nolime, 

 among the Pyralites. Dr. Staudinger 

 places it among the Bombyces, and in 

 the family Lithosid^. Until doubtful 

 points, like these can be satisfactorily 

 settled, no fixed uniformity of termina- 

 tion can be possible. As the spelling 

 of words show something of their pre- 

 vious history ; as the u in colour and 

 honour, show that we have derived 

 them from the Latin, through the 

 French ; so the termination of many 

 names gives us something of the history 

 of the past location of the species. 

 For illustration we may take the genus 

 y<jla. The only species of this genus 

 named by Linne is ciieidatdla, and by 

 the termination . it w ould appear to 

 have been placed among the Tinea. 



! Several of the species cristulalLt, albul- ' 1 

 j alls, kd, have names terminating in 

 alls, given when they were considered 

 to be Pyralites. We need not multiply , 

 examples. 



There is one other point in reference | i 

 to the law of priority that should have - 

 been named. When an author in 

 describing a species gives a name that 

 is already in use in the same group, 

 the name is not retained, but another 1 

 is given. Thus if one of our readers 

 found a new white butterfly of the 

 genus Pieris, and described it as a new 

 species, giving it the name of brassicce, | 1 

 the next writer would have the right 

 to give it another name with brass'tca*. \ 

 as a synonym only. The necessity for 

 this is obvious. Indeed if it were i 

 possible, it would be better if every ' 

 animal had a name borne by no other 

 species, or at all events that each order , 

 had separate names for everyone of its in 

 members, This might have been done, ] II 

 but would entail too much change now, f 

 j so that it is only required that the f 

 i same name shall not be used in such 



1 lb; 



case as may lead to confusion. 



j NOTICES. 



i Orders or other communications must be sent 

 ! to John E. Rgdson, Bellerby Terrace, West| ^ 

 ! Hartlepool ; or to 8. L. Mosley, "Woodside, j; 

 ' Eoad, Beaumont Park, Huddersiield. Orders . 

 j may also be sent to the printers or publishers. 151 



| X 



I NOTES, CAPTURES, &C. n 



i Hoopoe at Huddersfield, — A specimen n 



of this rare British bird has lately come be 



. into my possession. It was killed several n 



I years ago at Meltham, about five miles from k 



j here, and so far I am aware ha^ not pr e ' I) 



