Repoet of the Committee on Zoological Nomenclature to 
Section B, of the American Association for the Advance- 
ment of Science, at the Nashville Meeting, August 31, 
1877. 1 
The undersigned was appointed at the last meeting a committee 
of one, to obtain an expression of opinion from the working natu- 
ralists of America, in regard to the nature of a set of rules for 
facilitating the decision of questions relating to nomenclature, 
and which might be adopted or recommended by the Section. 
In accordance with the understanding and resolutions of the 
Section, by which this duty devolved upon him, your Reporter 
prepared a circular which was printed under the supervision of the 
Permanent Secretary and circulated by the Smithsonian Institu- 
tion, a copy of which is appended to this report. 
The recently published “ Naturalists’ Directory,” afforded the 
addresses of nearly all the publishing naturalists, in the discrim- 
ination of whom, valuable aid was received from Messrs. Scudder 
and LeConte. 
The circular was sent to all who, within the last five years, 
might be included under the designation of publishing naturalists, 
and of whom the address could be obtained. This list included 
about eighty-five names, from a number of which (for various 
reasons), a response was hardly anticipated. They were used, 
however, in order that the fullest opportunity might be afforded to 
all those who might desire to express an opinion. 
The responses received to date (Aug. 14, 1877), are forty-five 
in number. While a few honored names, to whose views all would 
attribute due weight, are not on the list, yet it includes most of 
those whose contributions are familiar in the Proceedings of Ainer- 
1 By vote of the Section this report was referred to the Standing Committee, who 
directed that the report be printed and further action upon it deferred until the next 
meeting of the Association. 
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