1868.1 
18a 
Acwnthosoma JKBmorrhoidalis or hcemorrhoidale ? with a word or two on the 
perpetuation of blunders in nomenclature.— At the last meetiug of the Entomological 
F Society, I had the pleasure of reading a paper written by my colleague in the 
Secretaryship. When I came to the genus Sericostoma, my memory recalled a 
; vigorous passage on the gender of Acanthosoma (Ent. Mo. Mag. iv, 260), and it 
was only after a timorous glance round the room had convinced me of the absence 
, of the Eev. T. A. Marshall that I dared to give utterance to the name Sericostoma 
' Carinthiacum. 
J When my friend's « few words on bad speUing " were published in the Magazine 
'for April and May last, I was prevented by the pressure of other matters from 
ladding a few words of my own. If not too late, I should like to do so now. 
' I may remark that Mr. Marshall has given to his papers a title too restricted ; 
•the range and scope of his criticisms extend far beyond " bad spelling;" many of 
•the " flagrant instances of cacography* in names " which he adduces are incurable 
■malformations, which must be either retained or rejected, but cannot be amended. 
The spelling of a mis-spelt name may be corrected, but it remains the same name ; 
reform a malformation, and you make in fact a new name. 
\ (1) I agree that " the ill-used letter H might be easily reinstated in such 
words as Ahrostola and Yponomeuta," and ought to be. In the "Accentuated 
List of British Lepidoptera " published in 1858 by the Entomological Societies of 
Oxford and Cambridge, Mr. Marshall will find Hahrostola, Hyponomeuta, Hyp. 
iipetes, &c. 
' Suppose that, at a meeting of our Society, Mr. Dash were to announce that 
in a recent visit to 'Ampstead 'Eath he had caught a new 'Ighflyer, which he 
ntended to describe as 'Fpsipeies 'Ampsteadiensis. I not only deny Mr. Dash's 
•ight to bind me by his pronunciation, but I think it would be within my duty if, 
>efore leaving BurUngton House, I caused search to be made on the floor for the 
h-opped H's, and announced the new Highflyer in the "Proceedings" as Hamp- 
ieadiensis. And if, instead of a verbal announcement, Mr. Dash had sent to a 
Magazine a description of 'Ampsteadiensis, and the Editors (omitting to sweep the 
iarpet) had published it, I deny the right of Mr. Dash (either with or without the 
editors thrown in) to bind me by his spelling. But unless Mr. Dash has the right 
o bind me throughout all time, both in writing and speaking, to drop the H of 
lampsteadiensis, why should he have the right to bind me to drop the H of Hypsipetes ? 
(2) Again, I agree that "printer's errors might be rectified," and ought to be. 
For instance, (BucculatrixJ frangulella, so named by Goetze because the larva 
Beds on the alder buckthorn {Rhamnus frangula), was first pubhshed ^s frangutella. 
!an absurdity much further go than to ask us to perpetuate a misprint like this ? Yet 
= was years before the Historian of the Tineina could be induced to abandon it; 
nd there are still some who cling to the t. What would these gentry have done 
'the printer had made it frangnlella ? 
In the "Accentuated List" Mr. Marshall will find Argyrotoxa. Argyrotoza, 
owever, was not a printer's but an author's error. Stephens made the same sub- 
iitution of a for x in other cases, e. g., Lozotcenia, in each instance giving correctly 
,A '• .?^;„J.\"„°V'/'''"^'*P*'.^ "usually taken to mean good writing in the sense of good penmanshin ' 
■re intended! ^' '"■"'""" " °''''°'"' °^ calligraphy. But The opposite of "orthography "'^^s 
