GEN
GEN
Whatever fifties there are which agree in the fame generical ■characters, and are properly of the. fame genus ; thefe ought all to be called by the fame generical name, their differences being only exprefTed by fpccific ones. This appears fo plain, fo juft, and fo neceflary a rule, that it is almoff. a fhame to lay it down ; yet the writers on limes, till the time of this author, had very feldom kept up to it : but in many different parts of their works, fifhes of the fame genus were found described under different generical names, and in other parts, on the con- trary. The greateft confufion imaginable was brought on by the defcribing fifh of really and truly diftincTt genera under the fame generical name. Thus the alburnus, the barbus, bubul- ca, brama, capito, caraflius, carpa, erythrophthahmis, fun- dulus, gobtus, griflagine, leucifcus, mugil, nafus, orfus, phoxinus, pigus, rutilus, fqualus, tinea and varius, are all ufed as fo many diftinct generical names ; yet they are all the names of the different fpecies of only one genus, the cyprini. In the fame manner, the agonus, alaufa, celerinus, and chalcis, the encraficholus, harengus, lycoftomus, pilchar- dus, fardanus, fprattus, fparlingus, thrifTa, &c. are a parcel of barbarous names ufed as diftinct generical terms ; yet the fifh they are applied to, are all fpecies of the fame genus, viz. the clupese. Numerous other inftances of this kind might be brought.
On the other hand, fifhes of the raoft different genera have been confounded under the fame generical name. Thus we have two fifh defcribed under the fame name tinea, as if of the fame genus, but diftinguifhed by the fpecific additions of their places of abode, the one called tinea lacuftris, and the other tinea marina. The firft of them is truly a fpecies of cyprinus, and the other a fpecies of as different a genus as can be well conceived,
Another barbarian and impropriety in the generical names of fifhes among the old authors, is the ufing the fame words to exprefs them, which are alio the names of other animals, quadrupeds, birds, and reptiles. Thefe are fubject to great objection ; becaufe when they are ufed it is not eafy to fee, in fome cafes, whether the author is fpeaking of a bird, a beaff, or a fifh. It is therefore one of the general rules of Artedi, that all thefe names are to be abolifhed, as alfo all thofe which are common to fifhes, and to plants, minerals, and to the tools of hufbandry, or other fervices. Artedi Ich- thyolog. p. io, 69.
Among the names common to fifh, and to quadrupeds, we have the aper, the afellus, the canis, the caper, the elephas, the gottorugine, or felis, the hysna, the hyftrix, the lepus, the lupus, the porcus, the monoceros, the muftela, the onif- cus, the fimia, the vefpertilio, and the vulpes. Who would think of boars, afies, dogs, and elephants among fifhes ? Or enquire into thofe names common to the fifhes and birds, who would expect to find in the fca, the alauda, the aquila, the capo, the corvus, the cuculus, the gallus, the galerita, the gracculus, the hirundo, the larus, the merula, the mil- vus, the pafler, the pavo, the fcolopax, the turdus ? Among the names common to the amphibious animals, and to the hfhes, we find the cecil'ia, draco, dracunculus, ophidion, lacertus, rana, faurus, ferpens, tarantula, and typhle. A- mong thofe common to infects, and to fifhes, we have the ara- neus, the afellus, the gryllus, the ichneumon, the iulis, the libella, the fcarabsus, the fcorpio, the taenia, and the lumbricus. Among the names common to plants and fifties, we find the adonis, a'mmogloflus, bugloflus, cynogloffus, erica, hip- purus, holofteum, papaver, paflinacha, fpinacha, thymus, and viola. It has been pretended that the old authors have given to fifh the names of beafls, as fuppofing their internal ftructure the fame with theirs ; but this is an analogy al- rnoft entirely imaginary ; and if it could have any fhare in the comparing fifh to quadrupeds, yet it leaves the comparing them to fpinage, poppies, parfnips, and violets, wholly with- out excufe.
Among the feveral names common to fifhes, and to the in- itruments of hufbandry and other arts, the offices, trades, and employments of men and other things, as foreign to the nature of the fubject as thefe, we find the following. The acus, bubulus, carbonarius, citbarus, faber, gladius, hufo, hippogloffus, hippuris, lingula, lucerna, lyra, maltha, mo- la, nafus, novacula, orbis area, quadratulus, rhaphis, remo- ra, rhombus, ferra, folea, umbra. To thefe alfo may be added the names taken from fpiritual beings, to which the namefake fifhes can certainly have no refemblance or affini- ty : fuch are the angelus, and the diabolus. Another rule of this excellent author is, that generical names that are compofed of two whole words unnaturally tied together are to be abolifhed, it being eafy to contrive names lefs barbarous, and as expreffive ; among thefe we find the araneus marinus, afper pifciculus, gobioni per- fimilis, muftelae affinis, pifcis cornutus, vefpertilio aquaticus, and a great number of others formed upon the fame plan with every one of thefe. Next to thefe are to be exploded thofe names which are formed of two generical words before in ufe, the one broken, or cut ftiort, the other preferved intire : of this kind are the fquatino-raia, the lucio-perc;e, the rhino-ba- tus, and the like. Artedi Ichthyolog. p. 73. Another general rule in regard to thefe names is, that all
fuch as are not of either Latin, or Greek origin, are to be profcribed and wholly rejected. This rule cuts off a prodi- gious number of barbarous words, with which vre find the books of authors 'of former ages on thefe fubjects crowd- ed. Among the barbarous names of German origin, are-the caraflius from karas, carpa from carpe, orfus from urff, triffia from trufchen, CSV. Among thofe of Belgic origin are thefe, coretta from coret, and the hayen, lumpen, C3V. which are all Belgic words. Among thofe of Engliih origin are the braulinus from brauling, gornatus from gurnard, graia from grey, and huitingo-pollachus from whiting pol- lach. Among thofe of Swedifh origin are ficus from filk or fik, ftxomingus from ftroming, csV. Among thofe of Gallic origin are thefe, barbotta from barbott, celerinus from celcrih y<r. Among thofe of Portuguefe origin are thefe, tiburofrom tiberaon, and linguado and pudiano, both Portuguefe words. Among thofe of Italian origin come the fragolinus from fragolino; and the fiatola, rayna, and many others which are true Italian words. Amdngft thofe of American ori°-in are the paru, tamaota, narinari, and a multitude of other fuch barbarous and unintelligible founds copied from Pifo Marcgrave and others. And finally among thofe of Afiatic origin, or borrowed from the modern Greek, wholly dif- fering from the antient, are the corcovada, cherifcaria, Iifia &c.
A fixth rule for the regulating generical names is, that all fuch are to be abolifhed as terminate in aides, as expreffing a refemblance often imaginary, and often alluding to fomething unknown, or rendered difficult to trace from the changing the names of other things fince the time when-it was formed^ Thefe words convey no idea of the character of the genus exprefTed by them, except that they are like the other thin°- alluded to in fome external, though perhaps not eflential cha- racter : of this kind are the rhomboides, fcorpoides, fefr. A feventh rule in regard to thefe names is, that all fuch are to be rejected as are barely diminutives and terminate in ulus or ula. Thefe convey no other idea, but that of the fifh beintr like fome other fifh, only lefs; now bignefs is no generical character; therefore if this genus, and that referred to, differ only in fize, they have no generical difference at all ; if they do differ otherwife that fhould be exprefTed. What makes many of thefe names alfo the more intolerable is, that they allude not to fifhes, but to other things fo different in their nature, that there muft needs be many other more eflential varieties between them, befide fize : of this kind are the lingula from lingua, caprifcus from caper, fpinarolla from fpina, fardella, from farda, and fo on to the anguella, dracunculus, albula, C3V.
1 Another general rule is,, that fuch generical names as are pure Latin, but are mere adjectives are to be exploded, there being no reafon for ufing them as fubftantives : the names of things of this fort, are coracinus from corax, latulus from latus, aculeatus, centrine glaucus, and the like. Artedi Ich- thyolog. 10, 79.
A ninth general rule is, that fuch names as are formed of Latin words, unknown to the antient Romans, and formed by the later writers are to be expelled as barbarous, and others of better credit placed in their ffead. Of the number of thefe new names are thefe, alburnus, lucius, falar, tinia, lampetra, &c Finally, fuch generical names as have been given to fifh from the places where they are caught, are to be rejected ; of this kind are the fardella and fardina from the ifland of Sardi- nia, and the ffurio from Afruria, a province of Spain. Thefe forts of names can convey no idea of the nature of the fifh and may belong as well to one genus as to another. Artedi Ichthyolog. p. 10, 79.
Thefe rules of proscription banifh fo many of the received generical names of fifhes, that it might be fuppofed the whole number was exhaufled, and all the fifh in the world to be named anew. But this is not the cafe, the genera are in reality much fewer in number than they have been ufually fuppofed, and therefore fewer words will ferve to exprefs them, and there yet remains many truly Latin words ufed by the antient Romans, by which the far greater part of the genera may be exprefTed, and the few remaining may be beft denominated by compound Greek words, expreffive of their real characters.
Among the true and genuine Latin and Grsco-Latine names of the genera of fifties are thefe, accipenfer, ami'a, anthias, balsena, blennus, clupea, cobites, cyprinus, delphinus, elops, efox, exoccetus,gobius, labrus,lamia,liparis, mugil, mullus,mu- rsna, perca, phyfeter, priftis, raja, falmo, falpa, fcarus, fcom- ber, filurus, fparus, fqualus, thynnus, torpedo, triton, turfio, uranofcopus, xiphias, zeus. Thefe will go a great way to- ward the naming the true genera. Artedi has merited greatly of the world, in thus reforming the names of fifhes, and the rules he has laid down, thus given at large, may with little variation be made to ferve to any other author, in whatever branch of knowledge he has occafion to write.
GENESIS, (Cycl.) in mathematics, is ufed for formation, or production. Thus authors fpeak of the genefis of equations,, figures, dffr.
GENETHLIA, Tui^u, i n antiquity, a folemnity kept in me- mory of fome perfon decealbd. Potter. Archjcoh Grxc. 1. 2. c. 20. Tom. i. p. lye.
GENE-
