NATURAL SCIENCES OP PHILADELPHIA. 237 



At that time, I supposed it might be the M. pruinosa, var. fusca, of Dr. Mit- 

 chill, but I have now little doubt but that it was the species just described." 



Dr. Storer, in his " Synopsis," gave a diagnosis attributing a " depth one- 

 fifth of the length ; first dorsal entirely before the first anal ;" copying the 

 radial formula of Jenyns, Yarrell and himself, giving only ''Massachusetts " 

 as its habitat, but admitting Dekay's notice in his synonymy. 



In his " History of the Fishes of Massachusetts," he takes no notice what- 

 ever of the species, and does not quote his notice among the svnonyms of 

 " Morrliua americana " or " M. pruinosa." 



Finally, in consideration of the uncertainty at least in which the existence 

 of this species as an American fish is concerned, it must be eliminated from the 

 Fauna of the coast until definitely established, and the name of Storer will 

 probably be placed in the synonymy of Gadus americanus. 



Genus MELANOGRAMMUS Gill. 



Melanogrammus Gill, Proc. Ac. N. S. Phila., 1862. 



The genus Melanogrammus is sufficiently distinguished from Gadus by its 

 smaller mouth, the produced first dorsal fin, black lateral line and the devel- 

 opment of the humerus. 



Nilsson* and Bonapartef have expressly appropriated the Artedian name 

 Gadus for the G. morrh.ua and its allies, most judiciously treating the Cuvieran 

 genus Morrliua as its synonym, since, as its name indicates, the latter was 

 intended to embrace the common cod as its type ; the G. ceglijimis at the 

 same time was removed from the genus and referred to the genus Merlangus, 

 which was differently limited and otherwise defined than by Cuvier. Finally, per- 

 ceiving that it was not a true Merlangus, and agreeing with Nilsson, Kroyer and 

 Bonaparte in its separation from Gadus, I have,in an article published in the Pro- 

 ceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences, for June, 1862, distinguished it 

 under the generic name Melanogrammus, which must be, of course, retained by 

 those who consider the genus a valid one. 



Melanogrammus .sglifinus Gill. 



Gadus seglifinus Mitchill. 

 Morrhua seglifinus Storer. 



Hab. Eastern coast from New York northwards. 



I have been unable to compare this American fish with the European species, 

 and before considering the identification definite, a careful comparison is neces- 

 sary, espeeially since it has not been found in Greenland. 



Subfamily PHYCINjE (Sw.) Gill. 



Genus PHYCIS Raf. 



There are specimens of two very distinct species of the restricted genus 

 Phycis in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution, and to those two I am 

 inclined to refer all the names given by authors to the American specimens. 

 Concerning the nomenclature of the two, there is as usual some confusion. 

 This I shall endeavor at least in part to dissipate. 



Phycis chuss Gill. 



Blennius (chuss in New York) Schozpf, Ges. Nat. F. zu Berlin, viii. p. 143, 



1788. 

 Blennius chuss Walbaum, p. 186, 1792. 

 Enchelyopus americanus Schn., Bl., p. 53. 

 Gadus longipes Mitch, op., cit., iv. 

 Phycis (americanus) Cuv., R. A. ,1817, ii. 217. 



* JYilsson, Prodromus Ichthyologiae Pcandmavicae, 1832, pp. 39, 41. 

 t Bonaparte, Catalogo Metodico del Pesci Europei, 1846, p. 45. 



1863.] 



