48 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



myself pledged to follow it in the final report, to adopt, for the 

 present, the arrangement followed by Dr. Girard, in his general 

 report of fishes found during the exploration of the Pacific Railroad 

 route, published by order of Congress in 1855, an abstract of which 

 has already been given. On further consideration I have concluded 

 to change this plan, and follow the more modern classification of 

 Prof. Gill of the Smithsonian Institute, it being more consonant 

 with natural structure of fishes. 



Only a part of the species of fishes found in our waters can be at 

 this time described. Many specimens are on hand, waiting further 

 time for examination and their assignment to their true and proper 

 place in the catalogue. Many more will undoubtedly be obtained 

 by further search. 



There may be some question in regard to the limits of the geo- 

 graphical distribution of the fishes of Maine. Whether this term 

 is to be applied to those only which are constantly found here, and 

 those also which come regularly by periodical emigration to breed 

 and feed their young to an age and size sufficient to enable them 

 to follow their parents ; or whether those also which are only 

 occasionally found among us — chance visitors — should be claimed 

 and included in the list. 



The fishes found on the north shore of Massachusetts bay, and 

 those that frequent the coast of the British Provinces on the Atlan- 

 tic as far as Newfoundland, may be fairly, I think, enumerated 

 among Maine fishes. Our coast occupies a middle ground between 

 them, and fishes are not restrained in their movements from one 

 haunt to another, or in their instinctive explorations for food, &c., 

 by any national or conventional boundaries. 



For the same reason some of the species which sometimes wan- 

 der from their more southern localities to the extremity of Cape 

 Cod, may be considered as coming into the region or confines of 

 the Maine fishing grounds, as Kittery point is but about one-third 

 of a degree more north than Race point, and .but between twenty 

 and thirty leagues distance from it on a straight line. 



If, therefore, some of the fishes which make the Cape Cod waters 

 their particular " halrUat," should occasionally be taken by the 

 hook, or stray into the net of some of the Maine fishermen, and 

 thereby be placed on our catalogue, I trust no accusation of breach 

 of the "flaking trealy" or of poaching on our neighbors " aquarium^' 

 will be brought against me. 



