INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 



The fishes of North America are as yet too little known, and the amount of new materials 

 for farther investigations too great, also, to warrant anything like an attempt on the present 

 occasion to establish a natural series. After the various groups have been treated of in a 

 series of monographs, as already begun by us,* we shall be better prepared to do justice to that 

 part of our subject. 



.We have spoken at some length upon two groups — the cataphracti, or mailed cheeks, and the 

 embiotocoids, or viviparous family^ both of them having numerous representatives along the 

 Pacific coast. They constitute the most predominant feature of the ichthyic fauna of that region 

 of the North American continent, together with the trachinids and the heterolepids, which 

 seem to bring into closer relationships the percoids and the cottoids, properly so called. The 

 true percoids themselves appear isolated west of the Rocky Mountain range. 



The family of Sphyraenidce is represented by one species of Sphyraena. 



The scianoids, so far as observed, are few in numbers, and remind us of the Atlantic types ; 

 whilst other families present several new genera. 



Not a single species of sparoid has as yet come to our knowledge. 



The scarcity of scomberoids is a curious feature in the fauna of our western coast. But we 

 venture to say that further researches will bring to light many more of them. 



As to the atherinoid family, we find in California a rather large species designated under the 

 name of "smelt" by the settlers, probably on account of its delicacy, and which is, truly 

 speaking, an ally of the " silver-side " or " silver-fish " of our Atlantic coast, and "pesce del 

 rey " and " pescadilla del rey " of Central and South America. The " silver-fish " being of a 

 diminutive size, even when fully grown, its esculent qualities have remained unnoticed by either 

 fishermen or gastronomers. The " pesce del rey " tells its own story; an allied species has 

 been described and figured in vol. II of Lieutenant Gilliss' " Report." 



The blennioids appear to be more numerous than the preceding ones, new generic types 

 having been found {Xiphidion, Apodichthys, Cebidichthys, and Anarrichthys) along with species 

 of known genera (Blennius, Gunnellus.) 



The gobioids, properly so called, are comparatively scarce, two species of the genus Gohius 

 constituting the entire known list. 



The cyclopterids, or Discoboli, are represented by two species also, one of which is a 

 Lepadogaster, the other a lAparis. 



The labroids, properly so called, are anything but numerous, if the embiotocoids are 

 considered as a separate family. We think, however, that many more will be found 

 hereafter. 



The pomacentrid family, or marine labroids, with pectinated scales, numbers one species, 



• See "Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge," vol. Ill, 1862. 



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