﻿86 
  

  

  one 
  of 
  three 
  methods 
  of 
  settling 
  the 
  question 
  : 
  to 
  consider, 
  

   as 
  with 
  De 
  Kay, 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  a 
  mistake 
  in 
  describing 
  a 
  spe- 
  

   men 
  of 
  A. 
  menidia; 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  a 
  stray 
  female 
  Capelin, 
  or 
  

   a 
  strange 
  form 
  of 
  Argentine 
  ; 
  or 
  tliat 
  it 
  was 
  some 
  fish 
  whicli 
  

   we 
  cannot 
  identify. 
  To 
  whichever 
  conclusion 
  we 
  may 
  

   arrive, 
  it 
  is 
  equally 
  evident 
  that 
  Mr. 
  Mitchill 
  did 
  not 
  intend 
  

   that 
  the 
  American 
  Smelt 
  should 
  be 
  erected 
  into 
  a 
  new 
  spe- 
  

   cies 
  ; 
  hence, 
  mordax 
  ought 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  used 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  

   it. 
  I 
  hardly 
  think 
  that 
  the 
  scientific 
  claim 
  for 
  priority 
  in 
  

   nomenclature 
  has 
  arrived, 
  as 
  yet, 
  at 
  that 
  pass 
  that 
  things 
  

   not 
  intended, 
  and 
  not 
  desired, 
  shall 
  become/aiVs 
  accoynplis. 
  

  

  The 
  change 
  in 
  synonymy 
  of 
  the 
  American 
  Smelt, 
  up 
  to 
  pres- 
  

   ent 
  time, 
  has 
  been, 
  Salmo 
  eperlanus, 
  Mitchill 
  ; 
  Osmerus 
  eper- 
  

   lanus, 
  Smith 
  ; 
  0. 
  viridescens, 
  Lesueur 
  ; 
  0. 
  mordax, 
  Gill 
  ; 
  0. 
  

   Sergeantti, 
  Norris. 
  Mr. 
  Lesueur 
  made 
  a 
  species 
  of 
  the 
  Am- 
  

   erican 
  Smeh 
  as 
  distinct 
  from 
  the 
  European, 
  almost 
  solely 
  

   upon 
  a 
  difference 
  in 
  coloi\ 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Korris 
  made 
  a 
  species 
  of 
  the 
  Raritan 
  and 
  Delaware 
  

   Smelt, 
  upon 
  color 
  and 
  size. 
  Now, 
  to 
  please 
  the 
  fishermen, 
  

   we 
  ought 
  to 
  create 
  a 
  new 
  species, 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  size, 
  to 
  in- 
  

   dicate 
  their 
  little 
  3Ir. 
  Silversides. 
  We 
  will 
  then 
  have, 
  on 
  

   the 
  eastern 
  coast 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  0. 
  viridescens, 
  Les- 
  

   ueur, 
  for 
  the 
  northern 
  fish 
  ; 
  0. 
  Se7'gean'ti, 
  Norris, 
  and 
  0. 
  

   argenteus, 
  Rice, 
  for 
  the 
  southern 
  fish. 
  Bat 
  it 
  is 
  best 
  to 
  bear 
  

   in 
  mind 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  Smelt 
  we 
  find 
  a 
  range 
  of 
  color 
  from 
  light 
  

   green 
  to 
  dark 
  green, 
  upon 
  the 
  back, 
  and 
  dull 
  or 
  more 
  pol- 
  

   ished 
  silvery-sides, 
  with 
  or 
  without 
  a 
  roseate 
  tint 
  on 
  or 
  

   above 
  the 
  lateral 
  line 
  ; 
  in 
  length, 
  a 
  range 
  from 
  fjy 
  up 
  to 
  

   ten 
  or 
  twelve 
  inches; 
  in 
  rays, 
  B. 
  7-8; 
  D. 
  10-11; 
  P. 
  11- 
  

   10; 
  V. 
  8-9; 
  A. 
  15-17; 
  C. 
  19-}-. 
  And 
  these 
  ranges 
  occur 
  

   in 
  fish 
  from 
  each 
  and 
  every 
  plac3 
  which 
  claims 
  a 
  new 
  or 
  dif- 
  

   ferent 
  species. 
  

  

  