INTRODUCTION XV 



tion in the general system of life, and especially to any just 

 appreciation of their importance to man. Unfortunately, our 

 definite knowledge of this field is very limited, and for most of 

 the statements made concerning the food, feeding habits, and 

 alimentary structures of fishes, we have had to draw upon the 

 papers of the senior author, published in volumes I. and II. of the 

 Bulletin of the Illinois State Laboratory of Natural History, and 

 based upon studies made between the years 1878 and 1888. 



In the details of the classification we have followed, with 

 little variation, Jordan and Evermann's catalogue of "The 

 Fishes of North and Middle America," published as Bulletin 

 47 of the U. S. National Museum, but our arrangement of 

 orders and families is that proposed by Boulenger, in Volume 

 VII. of the Cambridge Natural History, and followed in the 

 main by Jordan in his " Guide to the Study of Fishes." 



It has not been our purpose to enter into the synonymy 

 except so far as was necessary to connect the specific names 

 here used with both the more general publications in this field 

 and the more special papers on the fishes of Illinois. We have 

 in all cases referred to the original description of the species, and 

 have, with few exceptions, made reference also, using the abbre- 

 viations indicated, to the following books and articles: 



Gunther: Catalogue of the Fishes in the British Museum. (Abbre- 

 viation, G.) 



Jordan and Gilbert: Synopsis of the Fishes of North America. (J. 

 &G.) 



Jordan: Manual of the Vertebrates of the Northern United States. 

 8th edition, 1888. (M. V.) 



Jordan and Evermann. The Fishes of North and Middle America. 

 (J. & E.) 



Boulenger: Catalogue of the Perciform Fishes in the British Museum. 

 (B.) 



Nelson: A Partial Catalogue of the Fishes of Illinois. Bull. 111. State 

 Lab. Nat. Hist., Vol. I., No. 1. (N.) 



Jordan: A Catalogue of the Fishes of Illinois. Bull. 111. State Lab. 

 Nat. Hist., Vol. I., No. 2. (J.) 



Forbes: A Catalogue of the Native Fishes of Illinois. Rep. 111. State 

 Fish Comm., 1884. (F.) 



Forbes: Various papers on the food of fishes. Bull. 111. State Lab. 

 Nat. Hist., Vols. I. and II. (F. F.) 



Large: A List of the Native Fishes of Illinois, with Keys. Rep. 111. 

 State Fish Comm., 1900-02. (L.) 



Richardson: A Review of the Sunfishes of the current Genera Apo- 

 motis, Lepomis, and Eupomotis, with particular Reference to the Species 

 found in Illinois. Bull. 111. State Lab. Nat. Hist., Vol. VII., Art. III. (R.) 



