‘ 
342 Remarks on the Natural History of Fishes. 
a lobster-pot, and calls it the sea-sucker ; he observes, it “has a 
mouth precisely like the fish above described,” &c. ; and from the 
fact of its being introduced here, we infer it was considered a 
neighboring species. The fish here spoken of, formed a part of 
the collection of fishes purchased of Dr. Smith, and is the “‘ Um- 
brina nebulosa” described and figured by Mitchill in his “ Fishes 
of New York.” 
The author is guilty of a gross and altogether inexcusable 
error in the following species; he speaks of the “ Abramis chry- 
soptera”—bream: now the common European bream is the 
* Abramis brama,” and as yet we know of no “abramis’” with 
us. The “ Pomotis vulgaris” is generally known as the bream; 
it is the only species I ever heard of as being called bream in 
New England, and as the “ Pomotis vulgaris” is not mentioned 
in the pages under examination, the inference is irresistible that 
what is here called “ Abramis chrysoptera is the “ Pomotis vul- 
garis.” So that we have a foreign fish catalogued as being found 
in our waters, which is included in the family Cyprinrpas, order 
Mavacopreryen, instead of our own beautiful species, to receive 
which, a genus was formed by Cuvier, and included in his fam- 
ily Percomes, order AcanrHorreryenu, showing conclusively, 
that the common name being given, the scientific name of a 
foreign species is attached, whose common name was the same 
as ours. 
Respecting the four following species, I have only to say, the 
are all unknown in Massachusetts: the fishes which are known 
as the “ Roach” and “ Dace” are not the European species “Leu- 
ciscus rutilus” and “vulgaris,” but undescribed fishes. 
The “ L. alburnus” and “ cephalus” I have never seen; and 
as no foreign fluviatile species has as yet been met with in our 
state, I feel it is just to doubt their existence. That many of the 
Cyprinipar would thrive in our waters if transplanted to them, 
may reasonably be concluded from the rapid increase of the 
“Cyprinus auratus—gold fish, in our ponds; and my friend, 
Rev. J. E. Russell, of Salem, informs me that an English ged- 
tleman residing in Newburgh, New York, has stocked his ponds 
with the Hnglish carp— Cyprinus carpio,” from a few “ 
imported. 
On page 189, isa figure of the “ Silurus glanis,” an European 
fish, copied with considerable accuracy from Strack’s plates, de 
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