A COLLECTION OF FISHES FROM SAMOA. 



By Henry W. Fowler and Charles F. Silvester. 



The specimens forming the basis of the present paper were col- 

 lected at Pago Pago in the spring of 1917 by the Carnegie expedition 

 to Samoa. Efforts were made chiefly to secure small or incon- 

 spicuous forms, and, though the collection embraces only 53 species, 

 several are rare and one species is described as new. The collection 

 consists of five lots of small fishes taken from the following locahties. 

 First lot, April 5, 1917, from the cove just south of Aua village and 

 100 feet northwest of Dr. Mayor's "Aua line." These were taken 

 by Ufting bunches of coral from the bottom and then breaking the 

 coral. The second lot has the same data, except a few specimens 

 screened at the bottom with wire and mosquito screening. The 

 third lot, taken April 6, consists of specimens shaken from coral in 

 the reef in front of the hospital, Pago Pago Harbor, Tutuila. The 

 fourth lot was obtained March 20, 1917, from tide-pools near Double 

 Point, just west of the entrance to Pago Pago Harbor. The fifth lot 

 is simply labeled Pago Pago. 



The collection is now contained in the Museum of the Academy 

 of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia. 



The ichthyology of Samoa has claimed the attention of several 

 investigators. The most important general account is the "Fische 

 der Sudsee" by Giinther.^ This was founded largely on the colored 

 drawings of fishes from various Polynesian Islands made by Andrew 

 Garrett. After the first few parts were published the work was 

 discontinued for a number of years, though in 1910 it was finally 

 completed. Previously some of the fishes collected by the Godeffroy 

 firm, which also financed Gunther's ''Fische der Sudsee," were sent 

 to the Vienna Museum and described by Kner and Steindachner.^ 

 Later a collection from Savaii and Upolu was made by Rev. S. J. 

 Whitmee and sent to the British Museum. The percoids from this 

 collection are published in Boulenger's Catalogue.^ Streets made 

 a small collection about 1876, which he later described.* In 1900 

 Fowler^ reported a small collection made at Apia, Upolu, by Dr. 



1 Jour. Mus. Godeffroy, I (Heft i), 1873, pp. 1-24, pis. 1-20; II-III (Heft v-vi), 1874, pp. 

 25-96, pis. 21-60; IV. 1875, pp. 96-128, pis. 61-83; V (Heft xi), 1876, pp. 129-169, pis. 84-100; 

 VI (Heftxi), 1877, pp. 169-216, pis. 101-120; VII (Heft xv), 1881, pp. 217-256, pis. 121-140; 

 VIII (Heftxvi), 1909, pp. 261-388, pis. 141-160; IX (Heft xvii), 1910, pp. 389-519, pis. 161-180. 



> Sitz. Ak. Wiss. Wien, 54, 1866, pp. 356-395, 5 pis.; /. c, 58, 1868, pp. 26-31, 293-356, 9 pis. 



» Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus., I, ed. 2, 1895, pp. 1-394, pis. i-xv. 



* Bull. U. S. Nat. Mu3.. VII, 1878, pp. 43-102. 



6 Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1900, pp. 524-528. 



Ill 



