A CUBAN FISHERMAN. 177 



"of a thick volume of text, Spanish folio, and of an 

 atlas of ten volumes larger folio (eighteen by thirteen 

 inches). The plates are made with a light indication 

 of the colors, which are described in the text. All are 

 original, drawn from nature by the author. . . . The text 

 contains the scientific name of each species, the common 

 name, the complete synonymy, a description of the colors, 

 distinctive peculiarities, relations of the varieties, compari- 

 sons, critical observations, and the history of the fish. It 

 contains, moreover, the characters of classes, sub-classes, 

 orders, families, genera, and species. The total number 

 of plates in the Atlas is 1,040. These show 758 species 

 of Cuban fishes, represented by 1,300 individuals in all 

 stages of growth. All except the sharks are drawn of 

 life-size. These 758 species, together with 24 mentioned 

 at the end of the work, make up 782 species of Cuban 

 fishes. Of these, 105 are doubtful, and therefore are left 

 without specific names. I hold them in suspense till I 

 can receive further data from the study of other speci- 

 mens. There are, therefore, 677 species well determined, 

 of which more than half have been first made known by 

 me. Not more than a dozen species in the list have not 

 been examined by me. These are inserted on the au- 

 thority of writers who claim to have received their 

 specimens from Cuba, and who appear to be worthy 

 of confidence. The preparation of the text has cost me 

 an immense amount of time and labor, by the preparatory 

 studies which it has required. In the determination of 

 the species it is rarely that a single one has not occupied 

 me for an entire week. I have wished to make known 

 the certain as certain, and the doubtful as doubtful, so 

 that I shall declare nothing to be new unless it is so in 

 reality." 



The manuscripts of this great work are now in 

 duplicate. Professor Pocy retains one copy; the 



