IV PREFACE. 



a great many Jouraals, Voyages, and Reports, such a general syn- 

 opsis as is offered in the pi-esent Catalogue will meet a real want 

 in Ichthyology. In confirmation of this, we need only compare the 

 result of this volume with the number of species contained in the 

 corresponding parts of the ' Histoire NatureUe des Poissons' by 

 Cuvier and Valenciennes, the last general ichthyological work. There 

 we find 777 species, 92 of which are described twice or thrice 

 under different names* ; 154 of the remaining 685 species are very 

 doubtful, generally from insufiicient description, and mostly esta- 

 blished by Cuvier himself. The present Catalogue contains 1177 

 species, 917 of which are considered as properly distinguished, the 

 remainder being merely enumerated. Thus we have — 



Total number of species in Cuv. & Val 777 



Total number of species in this Catalogue 1177 



Species apparently weU characterized in Cuv. & Val 531 



Species apparently well characterized in this Catalogue . . 917 



" The Collection of the British Museum, together with its Library, 

 have enabled me to introduce original diagnoses of most of the species, 

 and to compile the synonymy and re\'ise that stated by Cuvier, 

 thus raising this work above the point of a mere compilation. The 

 Collection contains many typical specimens, as there have been em- 

 bodied into it, besides other minor collections, — 



" 1. The Collection of Gronov, purchased with his MS. descrip- 

 tions. 



" 2. Fishes of India, collected by General Hardwicke. 



" 3. The entire Collection of British Fishes, by Mr. '^''illiam 

 YarreU. 



"4. The Collection of the Fishes of the Frith of Forth, and 

 Scottish Rivers, by Dr. Pamell. 



"5. The Collection of Chinese Fishes, made by Mr. John Reevo 

 and his son John Russell Reeve, described by Sir John Richardson, 

 and the drawings of them taken from living or fresh specimens. 



* " Cuvier was ongelukkig in het scheppen van nieuwe soortbcjialingen. 



Zijn groot ichthyologisch werk is vol van dubbele of meer voudige besclirijvingen 

 eener zelfde soort, die naar vcrschillen van zeer ondcrgcschikte waarde, afliankelijk 

 van geslacht, leeftijd en klimaat, als zoovele verschillende species plaats nauien." — 

 Bleekei, Naiuur/i. Tijdschr. Nederl. hid. i. ISf)!, p. 344. 



