CORRECTION OF MISNOMERS. 191 



Mr. Cooper informs me that lie recollects but a single instance 

 of one of these fish being taken with a bait. The fly, hoAvever, 

 might possibly prove more successful. 



The rarity, excellence, and peculiarity of the Otsego Lavaret 

 entitle him to a place, as well as the noble race of which he is a 

 member, though in some degree destitute of the game qualities 

 of his order. My principal object, however, in introducing him 

 in this place was, first, to present the whole family of American 

 Salmonidce to my readers, as complete as possible ; and secondly, 

 to reclaim with all my might against the absurdity of calling 

 this fish a Bass, of the family Percidce, to which it has neither 

 resemblance nor kindred. 



This absurdity, if possible, is rendered more flagrant by the 

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

 sible, designated as the Oswego Bass, though it is no Bass 

 either, but a Corvina, of the family of Scienida, called also the 

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

 quently confounded with this Coregonus or Lavaret, and also 

 with the Black Bass of the St. Lawrence, which, for the 

 third time, is not properly a Bass [Grystes Nigricans), and 

 which is again, through the similarity of names, confused with 

 the Sea Bass [Centropristes Nigricans), who is also blunderingly 

 called Black Bass. So that we have actually four fish, as difi'er- 

 ent one from the other as any four things can be, all blundered 

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

 dity of naturalists hesitating to alter a misnomer originating in 

 the ignorance of those who were naturally ignorant. The 

 scientific name and characteristics of this fish are well estab- 

 lished, as Coregonus Otsego, the English of which, being inter- 



