806 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



"Without really hnowing about it, I have a strong impression that 

 the little fishes' chances would be improved if they were as widely scat- 

 tered as posssble when deposited. Certainly, if they are disposed to 

 keep together at all after being released, any large school of them would 

 have found poor hunting oft" Racine. 



" I have made as careful a count and estimate as I could of the abun- 

 dance of small entomostraca there, and have concluded that there were 

 not more than one or two to the cubic foot of water, and that there were 

 I)robably less than this. 



"These calculations will have more value, however, after it is abso- 

 lutely certain that entomostraca make the principal food of the fishes. 



" I have taken the first steps towards the Geneva Lake experiment, 

 and hope that we shall make that clinch the matter." 



Mr. Forbes wrote again the same day (February 20) as follows: 



" Since my letter of this morning the little whiteflsh have realized 

 the situation, and the entomostraca are rapidly diminishing in number. 

 Several of the little fellows have been bottled with Corpusus deUeti in 

 their bowels, always of the smallest species, cylops or canthocamptus. 

 They pay no attention whatever to the algoe in their jar, and seem 

 afraid of the daphnias, and larger entomostraca generally." 



I have no farther communications from Mr. Forbes relative to this 

 matter. 



J^ORTHViLLE, MiCH., February 22, 1882. 



UESCBBPTIOXS OF JVIIVETEEN IVEW SI»ECSES OF FISHES FROm THE 



BAV OF PANAMA. 



By DAVID S. JORDAN and CHARLES H. GILBERT. 



The greater part of the months of February and March, 1881, were 

 spent by Mr. Gilbert at Panama, in making collections of fishes for the 

 United States National Museum. About 145 species were obtained at 

 Panama, 80 of which are identical with species previously obtained at 

 Mazatlan. The following species appear to be new to science, and are 

 described in the present paper: 



1. Urolophus aspidurus. 



2. Tijlosnrus scapularis. 



3. Caranx {Carangops) afrimanus. 



4. Scid'na imiceps. 



5. Sckciia [StelJiferus] cricymha. 

 G. Sciccna {StelUferus) oscitans. 



7. Seimna {Bairdiella) ensifera. 



8. Odontoscion arcliidium. 



0. Cynoscio}i phoxocephalum. 



10. Isojmthus remifer. 



11. SerravAis [Plectropoma) lainpru- 



rm. 



12. Diahasifi steindachneri. 



13. Xcnichthys xenops. 



14. Pimelepterus ocyurus. 



15. Gerres aureolus. 



10. Goblus {Lepidogohius) emhUmat- 

 icus. 



17. Microdesmus retropinnis. 



18. Cerdale ionthas. 



19. Citharichthys {Hemirhombus) 



laUfrons. 



