﻿Description 
  of 
  the 
  Selene 
  argentea 
  of 
  Lacepede, 
  a 
  fish 
  

   whose 
  existence 
  has 
  been 
  doubted. 
  Read 
  before 
  the 
  

   Lyceum 
  of 
  Natural 
  History 
  of 
  New- 
  York, 
  November 
  26th, 
  

   1849. 
  By 
  J. 
  Carson 
  Brevoort. 
  PL|V. 
  

  

  Cuvier, 
  in 
  noticing 
  the 
  genus 
  Argyreiosus, 
  (group 
  Ble- 
  

   pharid(B, 
  family 
  Scomber 
  oidm,) 
  in 
  the 
  ixth 
  vol. 
  of 
  the 
  Histoire 
  

   Naturelle 
  des 
  Poissons, 
  p. 
  181, 
  says, 
  " 
  The 
  SHme 
  argentee 
  of 
  

   Lacep^de, 
  tom.iv., 
  p. 
  560, 
  562, 
  pi. 
  9, 
  fig. 
  2," 
  (or 
  vol. 
  iv., 
  p. 
  356, 
  

   pi. 
  13, 
  fig. 
  1, 
  ed. 
  8vo, 
  1819,) 
  "established 
  on 
  the 
  authority 
  of 
  

   a 
  figure 
  copied 
  by 
  Aubriet, 
  from 
  a 
  sketch 
  by 
  Plumier, 
  is 
  nothing 
  

   but 
  an 
  Abacatuia 
  (or 
  Argyreiosus 
  Vomer) 
  which 
  had 
  worn 
  

   away 
  its 
  first 
  dorsal 
  and 
  ventrals, 
  and 
  as 
  the 
  Selene 
  quadran- 
  

   gulaire 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  author, 
  or 
  the 
  Zeus, 
  quadratus 
  of 
  Linnseus, 
  

   borrowed 
  from 
  Sloane 
  (Jamaica, 
  torn, 
  ii., 
  p. 
  290, 
  pi. 
  251, 
  

   fig. 
  4), 
  is 
  identical 
  with 
  the 
  Chcetodon 
  Fabcr 
  (or 
  Ephippus 
  

   Faber), 
  as 
  already 
  shown 
  by 
  Broussonet, 
  the 
  genus 
  Selene 
  

   must 
  be 
  entirely 
  stricken 
  out 
  of 
  Ichthology." 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  above 
  summary 
  mode 
  of 
  disposing 
  of 
  a 
  species, 
  

   Cuvier 
  has 
  not 
  noticed 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  figured 
  by 
  Plumier, 
  

   nor 
  the 
  long 
  second 
  dorsal 
  fin. 
  Tn 
  the 
  species 
  as 
  about 
  to 
  be 
  re- 
  

   established, 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  shown 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  larger 
  than 
  the 
  largest 
  

   specimens 
  of 
  A. 
  Vomer 
  ; 
  (of 
  which 
  Cuvier 
  had 
  seen 
  over 
  thir- 
  

   tv 
  ;) 
  that 
  it 
  has 
  a 
  longer 
  second 
  dorsal 
  than 
  A. 
  Vomer 
  is 
  ever 
  

   known 
  to 
  possess; 
  and, 
  finally, 
  that 
  it 
  actually 
  has 
  the 
  short 
  

   first 
  dorsal 
  and 
  ventrals 
  of 
  Plumier's 
  fish, 
  all 
  which 
  must 
  neces- 
  

   sarily 
  prove 
  it 
  to 
  be 
  different 
  from 
  the 
  well-known 
  species 
  

   above 
  mentioned. 
  » 
  

  

  It 
  must 
  be 
  this 
  species 
  which 
  is 
  said, 
  in 
  the 
  Hist, 
  des 
  Pois- 
  

   sons, 
  ix., 
  186, 
  to 
  attain, 
  near 
  the 
  island 
  of 
  St. 
  Domingo, 
  a 
  

   length 
  of 
  tv;o 
  feet, 
  and 
  which 
  is 
  there 
  preserved 
  by 
  smoking 
  

   or 
  salting 
  it. 
  The 
  true 
  Argyreiosus 
  Vomer 
  is 
  too 
  small 
  and 
  

   insignificant 
  for 
  such 
  a 
  purpose. 
  

  

  