HISTORY OF THE ICHTHYOLOGY OF NEW BRUNSWICK. 33 



Storer's authority. Bearing this in mind, it may be said 

 that after forty years Perley's determinations are essenti- 

 ally unchallenged. He established no new species, it is 

 true, for such an opportunity does not fall to every man, 

 and Perley was not a disciple of the more modern school 

 of species-manufacturers, who are flooding the fields of 

 zoology with visionary genera and species ; but, in iden- 

 tifying specific or transitional forms already named by the 

 above-mentioned authors, he exhibited an accurate ac- 

 quaintance with the details of anatomy. It is therefore 

 with more than ordinary pride the student turns to the 

 labours of this pioneer ichthyologist and folloAvs the foot- 

 prints of the man, the scholar, and naturalist who laid the 

 foundation of the science in New Brunswick. 



Perley's list contains the names of sixty-two so-called 

 species ; but since his time the development of cj'prinids 

 has received more attention, and the " Shining Dace," 

 Leiiciscus argenteus Storer, has been shown to be the 

 young of the River Chub, Semotilus hullaris Eafinesque. 

 Again, the '^Salmon Trout," or "White Sea Trout," 

 *S'. trutta, of liis catalogue is undoubtly the sea-run or an- 

 adromous representative of the common Speckled Trout, 

 S.fontinalis Mitcliill. Under the name of " Britt," Cliqjea 

 minima Storer, he includes, on the latter's authority, a 

 small herring, which is now regarded as the young of the 

 two ordinary herrings of our coast. The common cod- 

 fish has perhaps the widest range of any, and must there- 

 fore be expected to exhibit much variation in size and 

 colour. One of these varieties is known as the "Rock 

 Cod," which was elevated to specific rank hy Storer, 

 Mitchill, and others; and, occurring on our coasts, was 

 very naturally assigned a place in our author's list. 

 Moreover, Prof. Gill has shown that the "Little Sand 

 Dab," Platessa jmssiUa, is the 3'oung of the common 

 flounder, P. plana Storer, and it must therefi)re be re- 



