187 



AcANTHOcoTTUS ViRGiNiANus Grd. — Scorpius Virginianus 

 WiLLUGB. Hist. pise. App. 1685, p. 25, PL 10, fig. 15. 

 Coitus scorpius Schcepff, Beobach. &c. viii. 1788, p. 145. 

 Coitus octodecemspinosus Mitch. Tr. Lit. & Philos.Soc. New 

 York, I. 1815, p. 380. — Cuv. & Val. Hist. Nat. Poiss. iv. 

 1829, p. 181. Griff. Cuv. x. 1834, PI. 43, fig. 4 .— Rich. 

 Faun. Bor. Amer. iii. 1836, p. 46. — Coitus Virginia- 

 nus Storer, Rep. 1839, p. 18. — DeKay, New York 

 Faun. 1842, p. 51, fig. 13. — Storer, Synops. 1846, p. 54. 

 Coast of Virginia; Willugby. — New-York; Mitchill, 

 DeKay. — Newfoundland ; Richardson. 



I have not been able to make the comparative study of the 

 species of this genus as complete as I could desire, not having 

 had sufficient materials at my disposal. I have nevertheless 

 ascertained one fact which I think will not be without interest in 

 the history of the species — namely, that the C. variabilis Ayres, 

 is the young of the A. Groenlandicus. This fact shows the im- 

 portance of studying these fishes throughout their different 

 stages of growth if we wish to arrive at a complete knowledge 

 of the species. 



The C. variahilis, which was at first believed to be restricted 

 to the shores of Connecticut, has been since found at Chelsea, 

 Massachusetts, by Mr. W. O. Ayres himself; and Mr. Horatio 

 R. Storer brought it the last summer from the shores of Labra- 

 dor, together with young A. Virginianus. The geographical 

 distribution of this species follows therefore that of A. Groenland- 

 icus with which I have identified it by the study of its Zoologi- 

 cal characters. 



The examination of the young Acanthocotti has also apprised 

 me of the fact that the spines of the preoperculum vary within 

 certain limits. Thus I have noticed some individuals which had 

 three spines on one side and two only on the other. It is 

 already known that one of the spines may be occasionally 

 bifurcated, but in the instance above mentioned the third spine 

 was not the result of a division ; their respective position left 

 no doubt with regard to this point. 



It would be very interesting to compare authentic specimens 

 of the C. scorpius^ Fabr. {A. Groenlandicus) with the species of 

 the same name of the coast of New England, Newfoundland, 



