33 
his carp-genus (Cyprinus) there were no less than 25 
different names in use, for his herring-genus (Clapea) 
14, and so on. Since his day, it is true, these genera 
have been subdivided, but at the time it was essential 
to collect and combine the forms in groups, for the 
purpose of obtaining appropriate unity and clear ar- 
rangement; all the more so, as some of the names in 
use had been promiscuously allotted to fishes of the 
most widely differing genera. 
Another practice of his predecessors that ARTEDI 
severely condemned was the using of one name to de- 
signate several different animals. To give some exam- 
ples: Canis and Vulpes had been employed, not only for 
dog and fox, but also for shark; while the shark, which 
was thus sometimes called Vulpes, was at other times 
named Simia, ape. Lepus, hare, signified sometimes also 
lump-fish; for the gurnard, of the Trigla genus, the 
bird-names Coruus, raven, Hirundo, swallow, Cuculus, 
cuckoo, Miluus, kite, Accipiter, hawk, &c. had to do duty; 
Passer, sparrow, was also a name for the flounder, while 
/?a/?a, frog, was applied likewise to the fishing-frog or 
devil-fish. 1 A more complete confusion is scarcely to 
be imagined, but at one stroke it was swept away and 
order and consistency were established in its place. 
In the choice of names ARTEDI was throughout very 
strict; he rejected all such as were employed at the 
same time for plants or other familiar objects, house- 
hold utensils and so on; he only approved, indeed, 
names of Latin or Greek origin, while even of those he 
refused to recognise dimunitive formations and deriva- 
tives in -oides, and could not sanction the use of sub- 
stantivised adjectives or forms latinised in modern times 
and not found in the works of standard authors; he 
objected, too, to such names as denote place of origin, 
like Sardina from Sardinia, Sturio from Asturia, &c. 
1 Among other names employed to designate fishes may be here 
added the following: Elephas, elefant, Mustela, marten, Vesperlilio, 
bat, Alaudu, lark, Aquila, eagle, Larus, sea-mew, Pauo, peacock, Sco- 
lopax, woodcock, Turdus, thrush, Gryllus, cricket, &c., &c. 
Peter Artedi. 3 
