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Show 440 ON ANTHROPOID APES. [Dec. 13, distinguishing all local races by a name we prevent the creation of useless synonyms by forcing the inexperienced student to study all of these before describing what appears to him a new species. As to the method of denoting by names geographical races, there are many views, but I consider that much the most practical method is to add a third name to the two already possessed by the species. This method is no novelty, for it has been done since the time of Linnaeus, the third name being coupled to the first two by the term 11 varietcis." So long as " varietas " was only used to express a " geographical race " it answered very well, but soon it was also applied to individual variations and confusion reigned supreme. I consider, therefore, that it is important to abolish " varietas " from our nomenclature entirely, as it has so often been wrongly used, and to substitute the term 11 subspecies " for " geographical races" and the term " abberatio " for 11 individual variations." Thus the South Camaroons Gorilla would be called Gorilla gorilla subspecies matschiei; but this interpolation of the word subspecies makes the name very long and cumbersome, so that I and most Continental and American zoologists have agreed to leave out the term " subspecies" and to write the names of geographical races thus: Gorilla gorilla matschiei. It is seen, therefore, that this so-called innovation is no innovation at all, but simply the using of the long-established formula for local races in an abbreviated and more convenient form-i. e., instead of writing Gorilla gorilla varietas matschiei, we simply leave out the word " v a r ie t a s " or its equivalent. The chief reason, however, why I hold that geographical races ought to be named and diagnosed is that it facilitates so much the study of geographical distribution. Also the habits of local races are often widely different, and it prevents errors if differences in habits can he correlated to outward differences. Some zoologists maintain that it is a mistake to describe " subspecies," as we cannot tell wheie individual variation ends and geographical variation begins. This holds good only in the case of Reptiles, Fish, Mollusca, and most probably in the majority of the lower invertebrates; but in Insects, Birds, and Mammals it is practically always possible to tell whether a difference is racial or individual, and, I believe, even in the previously mentioned groups it will eventually be possible to define geographical races. EXPLANATION OP PLATE XXIV. Simia vellerosus (Gray) (very old male) : p. 425. |