DISTINCTION IJY FIN-KAVS. 41 



would have invvtutrd the application of tlir misnoincr Tnnit to 

 tlie AVt'ak Fish. I Imvc ol)servc(l this very day, in the luluiims 

 of a distinjjuished weekly jounml, an oiler on the part of n 

 e(irre!<pondent to describe the habits, X'c., of tlit> Sn.ti/in-/i(i/i(t 

 Salmon! There heini,' notorionsly no Salmon in that or anv 

 Southern stream, althon^ii the Hrook Trout al)ound in its upper 

 waters, I \tiiture at once to predict that this Salmon w ill turn out 

 to he tlie fish describc<l by Dekay as Luciopcrca AnwricoiKi, an<l 

 variously called Ohio Salmon and Ohio Pickerel ; being neither, 

 but a species of the Pcrdi family, with one spiny dorsal (in. 



I hope tlicsc brief facts w ill induce sportsmen to «;ivc a little 

 attention to this subject ; and that they will not be ahirmed by 

 the luirshness or apparent dilliculty of a few foreign terms nor 

 sutler themselves to be ditcrreil by a mere show of trouble from 

 acciuiring, in a few minutes, tliat which will surely gi\e them 

 years of gratification. 



More direct instruction in regard to the mode (jf observation, 

 and the point to be observi-d, will be given under tlu> head of 

 each particular \\>\\, in the body of the work ; but 1 will here 

 point out that it is very well to note down the number of rays 

 sevendly contained in tlic pectoral, ventral, anal, caudal, and 

 dorsal fins of any fish which is suspected of being an undescribed 

 or distinct variety ; as on this, as well as on the sliape of tliesc 

 apiH-udages, mucli dc|RMuls in distinguishing individiuil species 

 of the same family. 



I will here, in corroboration of the last remark, state in two 

 words, that, next to the arningcnient of the gill-covers, of which 

 more anon, the fact on which Varnl relies most strongly for 

 distinguishing the Hull Trout (Sa/mo Krioa) fnjui tin- true 



