320
ON
Cougson2VewTermsœnZob'loff•'cal
2Vomenclature. [October
SOME
NEW
TERMS
IN ZOOLOGICAL
BY
I nAVE
certain
RECOMMENDED
NOMENCLATURE.
PROFESSOR
FOR
USE
COUES.
new terms to define and
recommend
for use in
zo61ogy--some, as desirable substitntesfor inelegant or inept
words now employed; others, as convenientnames for ideasor
things not now expressedexcept in paraphrase. I refer to the
word oN¾•vi
and its compoundsandderivatives. Onym is simply
anglicized from •wl•a, nomen, 'name.'
Zo61ogists
constantlyspeakof the •binomial' nomenclature,or
'binmnial' systemof naming. A uame of two terms is called a
'binomial'. An object so namedis 'binomially' entitled. The
agent in suchcasesis a 'binomialist.' The principle involvedis
'binomialism,'or 'binomiality'. And so on. Extension of this
practisehasled nsto corn[nittheverbalbastardyof 'mononomial'
and 'polynomial,'in speakingof namesconsistingrespectivelyof
one or severalterms, or in speakingof a systemof nomenclature
in which objectsare designatedby oneor several terms. Then
we also have •polynomialist',etc.
The objectionsto 'binmnial', etc., are several. It does not
fairly andfully express•vhat we mean. It doesnot readily yield
an eligible noun and verb. It does not easily enter into several
desirable compound words of collateral signification. It is
curiouslyrelatedto, and generally confoundedwith, a cliffbrent
word, 'binominal.' It is preoccupied,soto speak,in algebra,in
which scienceit hasa specialand appropriatesignification.
Perceivingsundryobjections
to 'binomial', some have sought
to obviatethein by using 'binominal', 'uninomimfi', 'plurinominal', etc. Bnt suchterms are also ineligible, on several counts.
Like •binomial',they do not readilyyield collateralwords,espec-
ially the desirednoun and verb. Secondly,the tautologyof
'binomiualname',for instance,is evident. Thirdly and chiefly,
'nominal'and its derivativeshave acquiredin Englisha special
meaning,as the oppositesof 'real' and its derivatives. Thus, a
'nominal'speciesis the oppositeof a 'real' or true species;it is,
in short, a figment; and thoughwe do say, for instance,a 'nominal list of species',meaninga list consistingonly of the names
•884.]
COUES
on2FewTermsœ.Zob'log't'cal
2Vomenclature.
3 21
of species,it is unlikely that •nominal'and its derivativeswill be
much nsed in their proper etymological sens%they being too
closelyweddedto the idea of unreality.
So we still need somewords to expressour thoughtsclearly in
speakingof onr systemsof zo61og'ical
nomenclaturein the abstract, and of their operationand cl•ct in the concrete. But we
have not far to seek. The word onym suppliesthe desiderataof
brevity in writing, euphony in speaking, plastic aptitude for
co2nbinations,and exactitude of signification. That it well
answersthe purpose,and is already anglicized in several compounds, is seen in the •vords synonym,]Sseudonym,
and their
many deriwttivcs. I would therefore suggestand l'ecommendas
follo•vs
:--
Onym, n. The tenabletechnical name of a species02' other
group in zo61ogy,consistingof one 02'more terms applied confo2mablywith somerecog•dzedsystemof nomenclature.
Onymy, n. The doctrineor practiseof usingonyms;nomenclature, in a proper sense.
Onymize, v.i. To make •lse of onyms; to employ a proper
nomenclature; to invent or adopt tenable technical nmnes in
zo61ogy.
Onymizer, n.
One who, 02'that which onymizes; a nomen-
clator, in a proper sense.
Onymal, adj. Of or pertainingto an onym• 02'to onymy.
Onymally, adv. In an onymal manner.
Mononym, n. An onym consistingof a single term.
Dionym, n. An onym consistingof two terms.
Trionym, n. An onym consistingof three terms.
Polyonym, n. An onym consisting of more than three
terms.
Anonym, •. A mere name; a 'nomen nudum'; a name resting uponno diagnosis,or otherrecognizedbasis.
Chironym, n. A manuscriptname; an unpublishedname.
Graphonym, n. An onym based2•pona recognizable
publishedplate, diagnosisor description.
Typonym, n. A namebaseduponindicationof a typespecies, or of a type specimen.
Pseudonym, n. (In a specialzo61ogical
sense.) A nickname;
a vernacnlarname, inadmissiblein onymy.
322
tlICKNELLon lke Sin•in• of t•irds.
[October
Synonym, Homonym, and their dirivatives, to be used in
their currentzo61ogicalsenses. Other combinationsand deriva-
tives of onym might be suggested,
but the aboveexamples
will
suffice.
S. S. OREGON• MID-OCEAN,
MAY 27th, •884.
A STUDY
OF
BY
THE
SINGING
EUGENE
P.
OF
OUR
BIRDS.
BICKNELL.
( Co•tiinuedfrom•. 2œ8.)
Vireo
flavifrons.
YELLOW-THROATED
VIREO.
THISVireosingsthrough
July,Augus.t,
andthe earlydaysof
September. Recordsof songin s(,meyearsare notcloselyconsecutiveduringthe middle•veeksof July, and again to•vardsthe
endof August; but usuallyoccasional
songspreventany significant break in the record.
If, ho•vever, the summer be exceed-
ingly hot and dry singingmay be suspended
for •veeksat a time.
Ahnosteveryyear a fe•v songsare to be heardin September,a
week or t•vo aftersinginghasapparentlyceased. In 1878 singing continued•vith some regularity until September7, after
•vhichsongsfrom singlebirdson the Izth and ISth •verethe last;
in •88onothing•vasheardof the species
bet•veen
August29 and
SeptemberI2--on the latter date, as •vell as on the I7th and
•Sth, full songsbeingheard; in I88I, September.6and 19 limit
a hiatus in the record, though on the latter date, as well as on the
24th•my latest record--songsloud and full •vere heard. Mr.
Bre•vsterhasobservedsome•vhat
similarhabitsof late song•vith
thisspecies
at Cambridge,hislatestrecordbeingSeptemberI I.
This is the only one of our Vireos which I have observed to
sing•vhileon the •ving. On May 2•, I88Z, I observed
a pair
flyingaboutamongan opengroupof trees; one was being follo•vedby the other: but their motionsbetrayednone of the excitementof pursuerand pursued:their flight wasso easyand