ICHTHYOLOGIC WORK 31 



one would assign the author of the Ichthyologia to his 

 proper place in the history of American ichthyology. 

 So far as it is possible, these facts will now be 

 presented. 



When Rafinesque entered upon his first western 

 tour, in the summer of 1818, he passed from Pitts- 

 burg, with numerous stops, to the Falls of the Ohio, 

 at Louisville, by means of an "ark," — a sort of 

 cabin flatboat common on the Ohio in the early 

 days. At each place where stops were made he 

 embraced the opportunity to acquire information 

 concerning the fishes, far more numerous at that time 

 than now, since sewerage and similar decimating 

 influences were at their minimum. Many of the facts 

 he gathered were noted in the neatly and regularly 

 kept note-books, for which Rafinesque was famous. 

 In addition to the knowledge acquired by observa- 

 tion, he received many items of information which 

 were in the nature of pure romances, communicated 

 by others. These Rafinesque accepted in good faith. 

 Both these classes of items were afterward embodied 

 in his published works, with scarcely a hint as to 

 either their source or their nature. But the first of 

 the really important personal collections were made by 

 him at the Falls of the Ohio, a locality abounding in 

 the smaller varieties, and remarkably rich in indi- 

 viduals of the genus EtJieostovia. One of the most 

 beautiful species belonging to this genus, the Etheos- 

 toma flabellattty was described from the Falls, where 

 it is still very abundant. Later, opportunity was 

 afforded to Rafinesque to collect in the Kentucky 

 River, at or near Frankfort; in the Cumberland, 

 both near Nashville and in that portion of its course 

 which is in southeastern Kentucky ; and in the Green 



