﻿84 
  

  

  to 
  the 
  Proc. 
  Acad. 
  Nat. 
  Sci. 
  Phil., 
  1861, 
  M 
  pag6 
  53, 
  Mi*. 
  

   Th. 
  N. 
  Gill 
  gave 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  morclax 
  to 
  the 
  American 
  

   Smelt, 
  without 
  giving 
  any 
  reference 
  as 
  having 
  described 
  it 
  

   as 
  a 
  new 
  species. 
  His 
  only 
  reference 
  is 
  Storer. 
  Syn. 
  Fishes 
  

   N. 
  A., 
  page 
  197, 
  where 
  0. 
  viridescens 
  is 
  given 
  as 
  its 
  specific 
  

   name. 
  In 
  the 
  same 
  volume 
  of 
  the 
  Proc 
  , 
  page 
  58, 
  Mr. 
  

   Thaddens 
  Norris 
  claims 
  a 
  new 
  species 
  in 
  the 
  Smelt 
  of 
  the 
  

   Karitan 
  and 
  Delaware 
  rivers. 
  His 
  description 
  was 
  re-printed 
  

   in 
  the 
  American 
  Anglers' 
  Book, 
  Phil., 
  1865, 
  page 
  263. 
  

  

  He 
  says 
  : 
  ^' 
  The 
  points 
  of 
  difference 
  between 
  this 
  and 
  the 
  

   0. 
  viridescens 
  are, 
  the 
  more 
  southern 
  habitat 
  of 
  the 
  new 
  

   species, 
  its 
  smaller 
  and 
  more 
  uniform 
  size, 
  and 
  the 
  distinct 
  

   roseate 
  purple 
  of 
  the 
  streak 
  above 
  the 
  lateral 
  line. 
  0. 
  viri- 
  

   descens, 
  the 
  Northern 
  Smelt, 
  attains 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  twelve 
  

   inches. 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  the 
  new 
  species 
  here 
  described 
  in 
  quan- 
  

   tities 
  at 
  New 
  Brunswick, 
  N. 
  J., 
  but 
  never 
  exceeding 
  six 
  and 
  

   a 
  half 
  inches, 
  exclusive 
  of 
  caudal." 
  In 
  his 
  American 
  Fish 
  

   Culture, 
  Philadelphia, 
  1868, 
  page 
  202, 
  he 
  calls 
  the 
  Earitan 
  

   and 
  Delaware 
  Smelt, 
  0. 
  Sergeantti, 
  thus 
  taking 
  it 
  for 
  granted 
  

   that 
  it 
  was 
  a 
  new 
  species. 
  In 
  the 
  Catalogue 
  of 
  Fishes, 
  

   London, 
  1866, 
  volume 
  VI, 
  pages 
  167-8, 
  Dr. 
  Guenther 
  gives 
  

   the 
  name 
  of 
  0. 
  viridescens 
  to 
  the 
  American 
  Smelt, 
  and 
  says, 
  

   " 
  Scarcely 
  distinct 
  from 
  0. 
  ciJerlanus, 
  but 
  with 
  a 
  little 
  

   smaller 
  scales 
  ; 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  transverse 
  series 
  above 
  the 
  

   lateral 
  line 
  being 
  sixty-six. 
  The 
  posterior 
  mandibular 
  teeth 
  

   not 
  larger 
  than 
  the 
  anterior 
  ones." 
  In 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  

   Fish 
  Commissi<.)n 
  Keport 
  for 
  1871-2, 
  page 
  810, 
  Mr. 
  Gill 
  

   classes 
  the 
  Smelt 
  as 
  0. 
  mordax, 
  (Mitch). 
  But 
  Mitchill 
  gives 
  

   no 
  such 
  name 
  to 
  the 
  Smelt, 
  In 
  anssver 
  to 
  my 
  inquiry 
  upon 
  

   this 
  point, 
  Mr. 
  Gill 
  writes 
  to 
  Mr. 
  Ferguson, 
  under 
  date 
  of 
  

   December 
  9th, 
  1877: 
  "The 
  species 
  was 
  first 
  described 
  by 
  

   Mitchill 
  in 
  the 
  Trans. 
  Lit. 
  and 
  Phil. 
  Soc, 
  N. 
  Y., 
  volume 
  I, 
  

   page 
  446, 
  under 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  Atherina 
  mordax. 
  * 
  * 
  The 
  

   species 
  is 
  not 
  badly 
  described, 
  although, 
  of 
  course, 
  Mitchill 
  

   made 
  quite 
  a 
  mistake 
  in 
  its 
  systematic 
  position, 
  being 
  

   deceived 
  by 
  a 
  certain 
  similarity 
  in 
  aspect 
  and 
  color 
  between 
  

  

  