44 BOOK OF THE BLACK BASS. 



The»e specimens are slill preserved, bearing the MSS. name of 

 Cichla variabilis Le Sueur, and belong to tlie small-mouthed species. 

 This name, which, so far as I know, Avas never published by Le 

 Sueur, is thus noticed by Cuvier and Valenciennes : 



" M. Lesueur, croyant I'espece nouvelle, en a publie une descrip- 

 tion dans le Journal des sciences a Philadelphie, sous le nom de 

 cichla variabilis; mais nous avons tout lieu de croire que c'est ce 

 poisson qui est represente et decrit par M. de Lacepede (t. iv, p. 716 

 et 717, et. pi. 5, fig. 2), sous le nom de labre sahnoide, d'apres des 

 notes et une figure fournies par M. Bosc qui le nommait perca tnitte. 

 La figure en est un peu rude, mais la description s'accorde avec ce 

 que nous avons vu, sauf quelques details, qui tiennent peut-etre 

 moins au poisson meme qu'a la maniere dont il a ete observe." 



Later (vol. v, p. v), the type of 3flcropterus dolomieu was re- 

 examined and fully identified by Cuvier as a Grystes sahnoides. 



It is thus evident that Cuvier and Valenciennes completely con- 

 founded the two species under the name Grystes salmoides, and that 

 the uncertain salmoides of Lacepede became in their hands a com- 

 plex species. We may perhaps say that their sahnoides must be the 

 fish described by them, and that the figure is to be taken into consid- 

 eraticm only when other evidence is wanting. M. Vaillant, how- 

 ever, maintains that the large-mouthed species should be considered 

 as the salmoides of Cuvier and Valenciennes, inasmuch as one of that 

 species served as the type of their published figure. 



The next writers who use the name salmoides (De Kay, Storer, 

 etc.), have merely copied or echoed the description of Cuvier and 

 Valencienne.s, and have in no Avay given precision to the name. 



Later Aga.ssiz uses the name '^ salmonevs'^ (slip of the pen for 

 salmoides'" f) apparently referring to the large-moutlied species. 



The description given by Dr. Giinther of Grystes salmoides in the 

 Catalogue of the Fishes of the British Museum, I, 252, adds nothing 

 to the precision of our knowledge of the species, the characters 

 given being either taken from Cuvier and Valenciennes, or else 

 common to both species. 



Next a description is given of Grystes salmoides by Holbrook (Ich. 

 S. Car., p. 28, pi. 4, f. 2), accompanied by an excellent fi>iure, which 

 leaves no possible doubt of the species intended. This is the large- 

 mouthed Bass. 



