NOTES ON SOME WESTERN FLUVIAL FISHES DE- 

 SCRIBED BY CHARLES GIRARD IN 185G. 



By John Otterbein Snyder, 



Of Stanford University, California. 



In the course of a recent investigation of the fishes of the Bonne- 

 ville drainage system of the Great Basin, pursued under the authority 

 of the United States Bureau of Fisheries, it became necessary to 

 attempt an identification of several species found there with those 

 described by early writers on western ichthyology. The greatest 

 difficulty was encountered in the descriptions and names published 

 by Charles Girard. These were based on a small collection * made 

 by the naturalists of an exploring party directed by Capt. J. W. 

 Gunnison, United States Army. 



An examination of available data associated with the collection 

 has led to certain facts and inferences that appear to be worth 

 recording at this time. 



Early in 1853 Capt. Gunnison organized an expedition the purpose 

 of which was to explore certain parts of a proposed route for' a rail- 

 road from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean. The War 

 Department directed a survey of the pass through the Rocky Moun- 

 tains in the vicinity of the headwaters of the Rio del Norte, by 

 way of the Huerfano River and Coochetopa, or some other eligible 

 pass, into the region of Grand and Green Rivers and westerly to the 

 Vegas de Santa Clara and Nicolette River of the Great Basin, and 

 thence northward to the vicinity of Lake Utah on a return route. 

 The party was a large one, including members competent to "make 

 researches in those collateral branches of science which effect the 

 solution of the question of location, construction, and support of a 

 railway communication across the continent." Lieut. E. G. Beck- 

 with was second in command, Mr. F. Creutzfeldt was the botanist, 

 while Mr. J. A. Snyder, who is mentioned as a young assistant 

 topographer, collected some specimens. 



1 What now remains of this collection is preserved in the United States National Museum, and the speci- 

 mens that were collected west of the continental divide were examined by the writer in 1914. 



Proceedings U. S. National Museum. Vol. 59— No. 2357. 



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