90 THE YOUNG 



good work in the science, by naming 

 after them some new species, particu- 

 larly when it is by their labours that 

 the insect has been brought to light. 

 We know some object to such names, 

 but we cannot see the force of the ob- 

 jection. If we had to begin now to 

 give names to species, we might, per- 

 haps, devise some more perfect system 

 for their construction, but the present 

 one answers every purpose, and some 

 one would be clever enough to find 

 fault with perfection. The object, 

 however, of these papers is to explain 

 to beginners what we think they ought 

 to know. This, it seems to us, will be 

 best accomplished by giving a few 

 names of each different kind with their 

 derivation. These will be taken as 

 before from the names of British 

 Lepidoptera, as being best known to 

 our readers. Examples of classical 

 names may be found in the papers on 

 British ButterMies now publishing in 

 our columns. MadUton, one of the 

 sons of .Esculapius, Colias, Argynnis, 

 Paphia, Apatufa. Phlceas, &c, all sur- 

 names of Venus. Acis and Galatea, 

 Hyale, lo, &C, are to be found in Ovid. 

 TithonuSy JEgon, Alexis, Adonis, &c, in 

 Virgil. Names in honour ol individuals 

 of modern times are not very numerous 

 among British Macro-Lepidoptera, but 

 avc may instance M. HaitfcMhiala and 

 C. Haworthii in honor of Haworth, the 

 author of " Lepidoptera Britaniifea." 

 A. AsUworthlL in honor of J. H. Ash- 

 worth, of Manchester, who first took 

 the species. Bwnksia (genus), in hon- 

 our of Sir Joseph Banks, the companion 



NATURALIST. 



. of Captain Cook ; Ktomeri, in honour 

 of the late Captain Blomer ; while we 

 may mention Dahlii, J/elmaiiai, raid 



' humereli as named in honour of 

 eminent men of other countries. 

 Species named from their food plants 

 are much more numerous : Bra* ictc 

 and Oleracea, from Cabbage, (ardfoi&i 

 ol&racea ) \ (Jr(tfa'ni, ( raloi/olo. and 

 Oqcyaeanthm, from the Wnite-fcherti 

 {Crafo'tjahis oxyachnf/tA,} ; Ga'ti and 

 Galiata, from bedstraw (galiwm ) : Fayi 

 from Beech ( F<uji<:< sylvatiai ) ; Quet:cux, 

 Quercana, and RobeMifia, irom oak" 

 ( Quercus rubor); and so on. Mistakes 

 have sometimes been made ; thus we 

 have IJippocastariariu from the Horse 

 chestnut, the larva feeding on heath. 

 Papillaris from the Poplar, the larva 

 feeding on grass. 8phk®x pind$tfi is 

 appropriately named, as is E. Piniaria, 

 the larvae feeding on Bine ; but 

 THpieryyia Phiastri is named in error, 

 tor the larva feeds on SorreJl. Our 

 space will not permit us to enlarge on 

 these heads and we. luust refer more 

 briefly to others. . Species named after 

 their colour or markings are numerous. 

 Flmpago, yellow : Flavicorms, yellow- 

 horned : Flaaicincta, and Flamcinctaria, 

 yellow-ringed: Aureota, 4unflua, Au- 

 ri'coiiia. Aiivayo, At if.u >di<< rm , and V- 

 aureum, all from Annua the Latin for 

 gold, while Glmysitis is named lor 

 Ghrysos the Greek for gold. Nigra, 

 black ; Brunne, brown ; Jinfina, red, 

 and so on. Albimacula, white spot, 

 albicolon, white colon, albipuncta, 

 white puncture, octomaculata, eight- 

 spotted, geminipuncta, twin punctures. 



