1875] The Study of Fishes 



thyology was inexact and incomplete, with few 

 comparative studies, so that the field seemed wide 

 open, as indeed it was. We planned, therefore, to 

 cover the river faunas, to set accumulated knowledge 

 in order, and to extend it as far as possible. 



Along this line I myself had previously made a 

 beginning with a paper on the "Sisco of Lake Tippe- Lake 

 canoe," printed in the report of the Geological rippecanoe 

 Survey of Indiana. That species called by me 

 Argyrosomus sisco is an offshoot of the Cisco (as 

 the name is now usually spelled) or Lake Herring 

 of Lake Michigan, but separated from the parent 

 stock since the last glacial period. Similar land- 

 locked ciscos occur in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, and 

 in other deep, clear lakes belonging to the Illinois 

 River system, as the Tippecanoe belongs to the 

 Wabash. 



During the course of a year and a half Copeland n e 

 and I worked together on three sets of investigations, Johnny 



i_ i r i_ i i i i- i i i Darters 



the results ot which were later published jointly. 

 These papers were (a) a study of the life history of 

 the Johnny Darters the Etheostomidce; (b) the 

 identification of the fishes described from the Falls 

 of the Ohio by Constantine Rafinesque; and (c) a 

 catalogue of the fresh-water fishes of the United 

 States. In connection with the first we maintained 

 a well-appointed aquarium in which we reared for 

 observation the ten or twelve species of darters 

 living in the adjacent White River. These we found 

 to be the most fascinating, vivacious, and individual 

 of all river fish. They are not the most hardy, 

 however, and being bred in pure running water, will 

 stand no neglect. 

 Any one who has ever been a boy and can re- 



C 141 3 



