16G [September, 



and continued until 1855. Lt. A. W. "Whipple, under whose command the survey- 

 near the thirty-fifth parallel of latitude was eflfected, in securing the services of 

 Dr. C. B. Kennerly, contributed very largely to our collections of fishes from 

 Texas, and the numerous tributaries of the Arkansas River. H. B. Mollhausen, 

 artist to the same expedition, showed also much zeal and industry for collecting. 



The survey near the thirty-second parallel of latitude, western end, under Lt. 

 J. G.Parke, contributed a few specimens, collected by Dr. A. L. Heermann. 



The eastern end of the same thirty-second parallel was explored by Capt. John 

 Pope, who having attached to his party Dr. Geo. G. Shumard, interesting speci- 

 mens were obtained therefrom. 



The survey of the partial routes on the Pacific side, under Lt.R. S. Williamson, 

 Dr. A. L. Heermann being surgeon and naturalist to the party, a large collec- 

 tion of fresh water fishes, amongst which were several Cyprinoids, was made in 

 the valley of the San Joaquin River, and the Tulare Valley. 



Subsequently, the same officer explored the Sacramento Valley from San 

 Francisco, Cal., to Astoria, Or., having Dr. John S. Newberry as naturalist, who 

 secured many interesting members of the family of fishes now under considera- 

 tion. 



The survey of the route near the thirty-eighth and thirty-ninth parallels, under 

 the late Capt. Gunnisson, and of the forty-first by Lt. E. G. Beckwith, secured 

 many interesting specimens from the valley of the Great Salt Lake and Hum- 

 boldt River. 



The survey of the northern route, under Gov. L 1. Stevens, was as fruitful in 

 many respects as both the United States and Mexican boundary survey, and the 

 survey of the thirty-fifth parallel. Dr. George Suckley, Dr. J. G. Cooper, and 

 Dr. John Evans, proved indefatigable in their efforts for collecting. 



The upper Missouri and Yellow Stone rivers were explored by Dr. F. V. Hay- 

 den, under the protection of Col. A. Vaughan, and thus were we made acquainted 

 with the ichthyic fauna of those remote waters. 



Lt. D. N. Couch, U. S. A., explored, iu the winter of 1852-3, the Mexican pro- 

 vinces of Tamaulipas, New-Leon, and Coahuila, thus adding materials towards 

 an elucidation of the natural history of the country south of the Rio Grande del 

 Norte (Rio Bravo) ; and but partially explored by the United States and Mexi- 

 can boundary commission. 



Valuable specimens from Platte or Nebraska river, the valley of the Great 

 Salt Lake of Utah and Humboldt river, were also received from the late J. Soule 

 Bowman. 



To John Potts, Esq., of Chihuahua, we owe some very interesting species from 

 the hydrographic basin of Chihuahua river, and the valley of Mexico. 



One species was purchased in tlie market of the city of Mexico by Major 

 Wm. Rich. 



The species formerlj' described, from tlie River Zuui, collected by Dr. Wood- 

 house, under Capt. L. Sitgreaves, are likewise included in this prodromus. 



Thus the countrj^ embraced within these surveys and fields of explorations, is 

 limited eastwardly by the valleys of the Missouri and Mississippi, and west- 

 wardly bj^ the Pacific ocean, extending from Puget Sound and the British posses- 

 sions at the North, to the valleys of the Rio Gila and Rio Grande del Norte (Rio 

 Bravo) to the South, and even including the Mexican provinces of Tamaulipas, 

 New Leon, Coahuila, Chihuahua and Sonora. 



The iuA'estigations of such an amount of materials could not be extemporised. 

 Indeed, even investigations upon tliese various collections could not have been 

 traced each separatively in the order in which they were collected. From a 

 preliminary examination of the first lot received in 1851, I became very soon im- 

 pressed with the difficulty of the task, and foresaw the utter impossibility, at 

 that time, to do anything like justice to the subject. 



In the mean time, however, a Notice upon a colleciion of fishes from the southern 

 bend of the Tennessee river, in the Slate of Alabama, by Louis Agassiz, was j)ub- 

 lished,* containing several members of the Cyprinoid family. And some time 



* Amer, Journ. of Sc, 2d. ser. xvii. 1854, pp. 297, 353. 



