274 Ayres' Enumeration of the 



I think Dr. Dekay is not only in error in attempting to 

 establish this as a new genus, but he has simply described the 

 young of a species already well known. " The orbits large " 

 and '' eyes very large in proportion to the size of the fish ; " 

 these, of themselves, give us partial proof that the fish is im- 

 mature, for in such cases the eyes are, almost invariably, very 

 large in proportion to the size of the head and of the body. 

 But, fortunately, we are not left to judge merely from the 

 description. This haione ! is very common ; it is found in 

 great numbers in many streams in Connecticut, and doubtless 

 in other states also, wherever the adult fish occurs. By a 

 somewhat singular coincidence. Dr. Dekay has applied to his 

 haione a specific name {fontinaUs) which will not need to be 

 changed. When we restore it to the old genus, it will be 

 Salmo fontinalis, Mitch. ; or in other words, the baione is 

 simply the young of the common brook trout. 



The spots on the side represented in Dr. Dekay's figure, 

 and which often remain distinctly visible on our trout till the 

 fish are six or seven inches long, Mr. Yarrell says he has rea- 

 son to believe are common to all the species of the genus 

 Salmo in the earlier stages of their growth. 



Comparing carefully Dr. Dekay's two descriptions of Salmo 

 fontinalis and Baione fontinalis, the only differences I can find 

 are in the rays of the dorsal fin, and in the color. He says, 

 in the trout these rays are thirteen, and in the haione eight. 

 But of the latter the rays are " so far cloven down as to ren- 

 der them difficult to enumerate ; " and is it not possible that 

 in a fish so very small, the number of the rays was not ascer- 

 tained with perfect correctness ? As to the colors, the de- 

 scription of the troutlet applies perfectly to the young of the 

 trout. Of the vertical bands mention has already been made. 

 From the descriptions therefore, and from an examination of 

 recent specimens, I cannot come to any other conclusion than 

 the one given above ; that is, that the haione is only the young 

 of Salmo fontinalis. 



SCOPELUS HUMBOLDTll? CuV. 



I introduce this species, though with doubt of its occur- 



