12 



D-8-11; A-9; P-17; V-l-3: C-ll. 

 Color greenish olive, lighter beneath, with 

 dark blotches amounting sometimes to im- 

 perfect bands. Fins corresponding in color 

 with the part on which they are situated; 

 pectorals transversely banded. 



This species presents a combination of char- 

 acters so far distinct from any previously 

 known in this family that a new generic di- 

 vision, with the following definition becomes 

 necessary. We will call it. 



Clypeocottus. — Ayres.— Head large, de- 

 pressed: small, even teeth in both jaws, and 

 on the vomer, none on the palatine bones: 

 opercular apparatus with large spines: head 

 mailed, as well as the lateral line: no scales: 

 gill openings large: branchiostegous rays six; 

 two dorsal tins. 



( Since this description was printed Mr. 

 Charles Girard has kindly sent me a copy of 

 a paper read by him before the Phil. Acad. 

 Nat. Sciences "in August, characterizing new 

 lishes from California. This genus is these 

 denned with the name Aspicoitus; the species 

 he calls I names have the 



priority of date and of course C. robudns is 

 suppressed. W. 0. A. ) 



A. bison i- taken in the Bay of San Fran- 

 cisco, and along the coast. Like the other 

 it is highly prized by the Chinamen, 

 though scarcely eaten by others. It does not 

 appear to be abundant. 



1 may take occasion here to correct a mis- 

 take made by Mr. Charles Girard in his pa- 

 per -On the genus Cottus" read before the 

 Boston Society of Natural History, Oct. 17. 

 He claims that "C. Ayres, is 



the young of the A. Gramlandicus" and ar- 

 - from this -the importance of studying 

 nroughout their different stages 

 owth" (Proc. B. S. N. H. Vol. 3, page 

 187.) At a subsequent meeting of the same 

 society, I presented a comparison of the two 

 specie-, showing in what respects they dif- 

 fer. Mr. Girard. who was present, -remark- 

 ed that he thought two species hail been con- 

 founded under C. G cus," and he 

 should be pleased to find that one of them 

 thai described by me as ('. variabilis. — 

 But I - not meet the point. Without 

 at all raising the question whether C. Scorpi- 

 w, Fabr. i* identical with the Massachusetts 

 fish which was so long referred to it. the C. 

 of Dr. Storer'a Report, 1 wish to 

 state my full conviction that my variabilis is 

 not the young of any certainly not 

 that of the ch is com- 

 mon near Boston; I have critically examined 



leave 

 koy doul subject. The r. 



for this conviction it is not necessary to give 



here as a synopsis of them may be found in 

 the 1'ioc B. S. N. H. Vol. 3. page 312. 



We have therefore three Acanthocotti on 

 the coast of New England, and if as seems 

 probable the one hitherto called Gmnlandir 

 cus is distinct from the true Greenland fish, it 

 remains as yet without a specific name, vuri- 

 iiaving been incorrectly referred to it. 

 Their synonymy will be as follows: 



1. AiANTiiocoTTUs mucosus. — Ayres. — 

 Coitus Gramlandkus, — Rich, as well as of 

 Storer and Dekay in their Reports and Sto- 

 rer's Synopsis, and Girard, Proc. B. S. Nat. 

 Hist. Vol. 3. page 185, — AcanlhocoUus varia- 

 Girard, Bost. Jour. N H. Vol.6, page 

 348, and Storer's Hist, of the Fishes of Mass. 

 page 26. 



■2. AcANTHOCOTTUS VARIABILIS. AyreS, 



(not Girard) — Cottus variabilis, Ayres, Proc. 

 B. S. N. H. Vol. 1. page 68. and "Bost. Jour. 

 N. H. Vol. -1.1843, 'page 259. 



3. AcANTHoroTTis Virginian us, Girard, 

 Cottus ocl<> OSUS, Mitch. Cottus Yn 



-. Storer and Dekay. 



1 have purposely avoided extending the 

 comparison beyond the limits of New Eng- 

 land, because at New York two additional 

 species are reported, at least one of which 

 seems of doubtful value. 



San Francisco, Oct. 10, 1848. 



Dr. H. Gibbons in the chair — 



Dr. C. F. Winslow was elected a resident 

 member and Lieut. Stone. U. S. N. a cones- 

 ponding member. L. W. Sloat Esq. presented 

 a Centipede from the vicinity of Calaveras 

 County. 



Dr. H. Gibbons presented thefins of a Flying 

 iish and bones of the wing of an Albatross. 



Dr. Kellogg presented tor Mr. J. G. Swan 

 of Shoal Water Bay, Wa<liington Territory, 

 three drawings made by Mr. Swan, of a spe- 

 cies of Napea, an Epilobium, and of the 

 shrub known as -Salal." — with dried speci- 

 mens. Also the skull of a Chinook female, 

 and geological specimens from Copales and 

 Quenicult Rivers. 



Mr. H. G. Bloomer presented a white in- 

 crustation from the mineral spring, some four 

 - from Oakland, and a bottle of the snl- 

 phurretted water from the same locality. — 

 (Hi. Nevins presented for Dr. Charles H. 

 Raymond, the fifth annual Report of the 

 Board of Regents df the Smithsonian Insti- 

 tution. History and description of the skel- 

 eton ot a new sperm whale, with plates, and 

 a Guide to Zoological Garden*. London. 



Mr. I.. W. SI., at lor W. B. ohU. Esq. pre- 

 sented Cuvier's -Animal Kingdom/ 1 in 4 

 vols. The thanks of the Academ) were ten' 

 dered to Mr. Olds for his valuable donation. 



