When Linnæus said that all objects of natural history must have a specific name, he did not mean a trivial name (which was not then invented), but what is called a short, distinctive character, otherwise it is not imperative on others to adopt the trivial name imposed, or recognise it in any way. The want of short characters (intended to place clearly before the mind the few essential points of difference between supposed new and already known forms or species) cannot be supplied by figures or diffuse descriptions of the entire object, as these leave quite in the dark the precise marks of distinction observed by the writer, if such actually existed.