Vol. XXV, pp. 39-50 March 19, 1912 



PROCEEDINGS 



OF THF. 



BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



PROFESSOR ROBERT COLLETT ON PTERYCOMBUS 



BR AM A FRIES. 



BY R. W. SHUFELDT. 



Nearly twenty-five years ago the present writer published in 

 the Journal of Morphology a paper entitled ' ' Further Studies of 

 Grammicolepis brachiuseulus Poey' (Vol. II, No. 2, Nov., 

 1888, pp. 271-206, figs. 1-14). This paper consisted in a 

 translation and republication of Professor Poey's description of 

 that very remarkable, and, so far as known at this writing, 

 unique form of fish.* My contribution considerably augmented 

 the valuable paper just cited, especially in the matter of osteo- 

 logical comparisons made with the skulls and parts of the 

 vertebral columns of other species of fishes. These were 

 recommended by Doctor Theodore Gill, who kindly furnished 

 me from his own collection material for the purpose. The 

 Smithsonian Institution also loaned Dr. Gill additional speci- 

 mens for the purpose, which were forwarded to me at Fort 

 Wingate, New Mexico, where I was serving as Post Surgeon at 

 the time, and where I studied and wrote out my account of 

 Grammicolepis. 



As Professor Poey believed that the species was more nearly 

 related to the Carangidas than any other family of fishes known 

 to him, most of my material for comparison belonged to that 

 group, as, for example, skulls and other bones of Curanx hippos, 

 Tenthis cceruleus, Pomacanthus paru, and a few others. The 

 skulls of some of these I figured and published in my article, 

 particularly the three species just given. There was one fish, 

 however, that I especially desired to compare with Grammi- 



* Anal, de la Soc. Esp. clc Hist. Nat.. Fom. 11, 1873, by Felipe Poey. 



7— Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., Vol. XXV, 1912. (39) 



