Hi, Paul. I didn't want people to rush out and buy an expensive book unless they had the fortitude to read a legal code. And it does take fortitude, in either French or English. To those who are interested in taxonomy: Please get a book on general taxonomy before tackling the Code. The Code doesn't include sufficient explanation of why the rules were set up or how they work. As to names erected by accident, it does occur sometimes. The classic "oops" is the deliberate use of an incorrect name. Suppose that C. Smith (1882) names a new species, Meeya meefla. Another author, let's call her C. Mell (1930), applies the name incorrectly but sincerely. Then a third author, L. Jestocost (1965), realizes C. Mell's error but also wants to point out the relationship between her specimens and his own. He publishes them in a new genus, Abbadingo, with type species "Meeya meefla sensu (in the sense of) Mell, 1930". Woops! According to Article 11i of the ICZN, he has just not only erected a new genus, but also a new species to be credited not to Mell (1930), but to Jestocost (1965). Not what he had in mind, and frankly I find this rule distasteful, but that's show business. Be that as it may, accidental names are not as common as some people claim.The ICZN states at the outset that it excludes names proposed "as a means of temporary reference and not for formal taxonomic use as scientific names in zoological nomenclature", which I interpret to include names proposed as jokes, names proposed in non-scientific publications (a category that is open to debate!), and names proposed in textbooks to show students how it is done, among others. Electronic publication, of course, is also ruled out, so don't worry about the inadvertent publication of "Meeya meefla" as a new name. Well, me buckos, it's time to bow out for a while. I will be out of the office for a few weeks to take care of some family matters. Best wishes & Abrazos, Andy Andrew K. Rindsberg Geological Survey of Alabama