Latin names--frequently unpronounceable, all too often wrong and always a tiny puzzle to unravel--have been annoying the layman since they first became formalized as scientific terms in the eighteenth century.Why on earth has the entirely land-loving Eastern Mole been namedScalopus aquaticus, or the Oxford Ragwort been calledSenecio squalidus--'dirty old man'? What were naturalists thinking when they called a beetleAgra katewinsletae, a genus of fishBatman, and a TrilobiteHan solo? Why is zoology replete with names such asChloris chloris chloris(the greenfinch), andGorilla gorilla gorilla(a species of, well gorilla)?The Naming of the Shrewwill unveil these mysteries, exploring the history, celebrating their poetic nature and revealing how naturalists sometimes get things so terribly wrong. With wonderfully witty style and captivating narrative, this book will make you see Latin names in a whole new light.