194 PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. [1885. 



in that department are fitly commemorated by the name Gardenia, ap 

 plied by Linnaeas in his honor to the beautiful Cape Jessamine. He 

 collected also reptiles and fishes, and was so careful and conscientious 

 a preparator that almost all of the fishes sent hy him to Sweden are still 

 in existence, though the other fishes upon which Linn6 worked are in a 

 much less satisfactory state of preservation, and most of them indeed 

 have gone to destruction. 



Garden's method was to skin half of the fish, leaving the vertical fins 

 attached, to press it in a botanical press, varnish it, and glue it to a 

 sheet of herbarium paper. 



These specimens are i^reserved in the rooms of the Linnsean Society 

 of London, in Burlington House, in connection with the Linnsean her- 

 barium and library. 



In the summer of 1883, by the courtesy of Dr. William Murie, libra- 

 rian of the Linn?ean Society, we were permitted to make a careful study 

 of the Linntean fishes, and especially of the American forms, which 

 were, as has been remarked, almost all collected by Garden, and which 

 were named and described by Linn^ in the tenth and twelfth editions of 

 his Systema Xaturm. The results of these studies are presented in the 

 following paper, which we hope may prove tube a contribution to stabil- 

 ity of American ichthyological nomenclature. 



The notes are arranged in the order in which the several species are 

 discussed in the twelfth edition of the Systema Naturce. 



The following important changes in nomenclature seem to be neces- 

 sary as a result of this investigation : 



1. Corypliwna psittacuSj L. is a Xyrichfhys, identical with X. vermicu- 

 latus, Poey, which must hereafter be called Xyrichthys psittacus. 



2. Zeus {/alius, L. is Selene argentea, Lac, which must therefore be 

 called Selene gallus. 



3. Zeus vomer, L. is Vomer setipinnis, Auctorum, which unfortunately 

 must be called Vomer vomer, if we retain our proper regard for priority 

 in the use of specific names. 



4. Pleuronectes dentatus = ParaUchthys dentatus, Auctorum, and P. 

 ophryas, J. & G., characterized by the presence of numerous gill-rakers. 



5. Sparus chrysops, L. and Spartis argyrops, L. were founded upon 

 specimens of the same species, which is the northern form. Dr. Bean 

 has already indicated that this form should be known as Stenotomns 

 chrysops, while for the southern form he has adopted the name S. acu- 

 leatus. (Bean, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus.) 



6. Lahrus MaHila, L. is undoubtedly the Tautog. If a name based upon 

 a mutilated specimen is to be allowed to stand this species must be 

 known as Hiatula hiatula; it is to be hoped, however, that the revised 

 codes of nomenclature will not force us into this usage. 



7. Perca. rhomboidalis, L. is Lagodon rhomboides, Auctorum. It would 

 seem, therefore, that this species must be called Lagodon rhomhoidalis. 



8. Perca guttatus, L. is Epinephelus lunulatus, Poey, which should be 

 called Epinephelus guttatus. 



