SCIENTIFIC HISTORY OF THE BLACK BASS. 15 



In the same year, Dr. Kirtland adopted Centrarchus 

 fasciatus as synonymous with Le Sueur's and Rafinesquc's 

 numerous descriptions of the small-mouthed species. 



In 1850, Prof. Agassiz recognized the generic identity 

 of the former descriptions of the Black Bass by Le Sueur, 

 Cuvier and Valenciennes, and DeKay, and retained the 

 name Grystes for the same. 



In 1854, Prof. Agassiz obtained specimens of the large- 

 mouthed Bass from the Tennessee River, near Huntsville, 

 Ala., which he named, provisionally, Grystes nobilis. In 

 the same year, Messrs. Baird and Girard described speci- 

 mens of the same species from Texas, as Grystes nuceensis. 



In 1857, Dr. Garlick described the small-mouthed Black 

 Bass as Grystes nigricans, and the large-mouthed species 

 as Grystes megastoma. 



In 1858, Girard described the large-mouthed Bass as 

 Dioplites nuecensis. 



In 1860, Prof. Theo. Gill restored Rafinesque's earliest 

 name for the small-mouthed form of the Black Bass, call- 

 ing it Lepomis achigan; which, however, he changed in 

 1866 to Micropterus achigan; and still later, in 1873, 

 he adopted Lacepede's name, IlieropAerus salmoides, for 

 the same species. 



In 1866, Prof. Gill named the large-mouthed Bass, 

 Micropterus nigricans, which name was also adopted by 

 Prof. E. D. Cope about the same time. 



In 1874, when, apparently, the oldest generic and specific 

 names had been restored ; after Prof. Gill's masterly review 

 of the species in the previous year (when the tangled web 

 had been, seemingly, straightened), when dry land was 

 thought to have been reached at last; — then came the 

 French naturalists, again. MM. Vaillant and Bocourt, 



