("KiiKnii'V <<V MISNuMKKS. H'l 



Mr. Cot)j)cr informs inc tlial lie rccolli-cts l)ut asinirli' iiistaiifc 

 of one of these Hsli beiii^ taken widi a bait. Tlic tly, howcvt-r, 

 luijrlit jmssibly prove more successful. 



'I'lu' mrity, excellence, and peculiarity of the Otsego Lavaret 

 entitle him to a place, ii.s well us the nohle raei- of which he is a 

 nicmher, thonirh in some dejrree (lestitutt> of the irame (pialifies 

 of his order. My prineipal oljjeet, however, in iiit rodueiii^ liiin 

 In this place was, lirst, to present the whole fainily of Ameiiean 

 SalmonidfE to my reackM's, as complete as jjossihle ; ami secondly, 

 to reclaim with all my mitrht ajr:iinst the absurdity of eallin*; 

 tins fish n Hnss, of the family l\ rriihr, to which it has neither 

 reseml)hinc(> nor kindred. 



Thi.s absurdity, if possible, is rendered more flagrant by thi' 

 fact that tliere is yet another fish, as distinct from this as pos- 

 sible, (lesi{:^nate(l as tlic Oswej^o Hass, thou«;l> it is no Mass 

 either, but a Corviua, of tin; famdy i)( Sric/iidtP, called also the 

 Lake Sheep's-head, which, from the similarity of title, is fre- 

 (piently confouiuled with this Corci/fnius or Tiavaret, and als(» 

 with the Hlack Hass of the St. Lawrence, which, for tiio 

 third time, is not properly a Hass (Grystvs Xii/rira/isi, and 

 which is a;xain, throu;jh the similarity of names, eontused with 

 tlic Sea Hass {('r/ifrnjiris/cs Xii/rirdiis), who is alxi l)lunderin;4l\ 

 called niack Hass. So that we have actually four TinIi, as differ- 

 ent one from the other as any four thinj,'s eau be, all binndered 

 up together in confusion worse confounded, owing to the timi- 

 dity of naturalists lu-sitating to alter a nuHuonier originating in 

 the ignorance of those who were naturally ignorant. Tin' 

 scientific name and chnracteristies of this fish are wc 11 estab- 

 lishctl, as i'oreynnuit (Jtnt'ffo, the Knglish of whicli, beintr inter- 



