OCTOBEB 18, 1907] 



SCIENCE 



493 



referred to Perca and even confounded 

 with a Serranus. 



The typical Ldbri of the northern seas 

 do, indeed, have filiform processes of the 

 fin membrane behind the dorsal spines, but 

 most of the species referred by Linne to 

 Labrus do not, and among them is a com- 

 mon sunfish (auritus = Lepomis auritus) 

 of America. 



The genus Cohitis was made to include 

 Cyprinodonts of the genera Anableps and 

 Fundulus, and thus were associated fishes 

 differentiated from the Loaches by char- 

 acters of immeasurably more importance 

 than the trivial one which was the cause 

 of their juxtaposition. 



Another conspicuous instance of a trivial 

 character used as generic, and contrasting 

 with very important differentials of spe- 

 cies included under the same genus, is fur- 

 nished by Esox. The essential Linnsean 

 diagnostic character is the protrusion of 

 the lower jaw.' Nine species were referred 

 to the genus which represent no less than 

 eight distinct and, mostly, widely separated 

 families of modern systematists.' Several 

 of the species do not have the prominent 

 lower jaw, and one of them (Lepisosteus 

 osseus of modern ichthyology) is especially 

 distinguished by Linne himself on account 

 of the shorter lower jaw.® 



But the most marked eases of insignif- 

 icance of characters used to differentiate' 

 by the side of those serving for combina- 

 tion are found in the class Amphibia. 



The genus Lacerta is made to include all 

 but one of the pedate Lizards and the 

 Croeodilians as well as the salamanders, 



' Esox. Mandibula inferior longior, punctata. 

 S. N., '58 ; '66, 424. 



'The species are (1) Sphyrwna ( Sphy roenidae ) , 

 (2) osseus (LepisosteidEe) , (3) Vulpes (Albul- 

 idae), (4) Synodus ( Synodontidae ) , (5) hicius 

 (Luciidae), (6) belone (Esocidee), (7) hepsetus 

 and (8) hrasiliensis ( Exocoetidse ) , and (9) gym- 

 nocephalus (Chirocentridae) . S. N., '66, 513-517. 



'Mandibula inferior brevior. S. N.. '66, 516. 



but the "dragons," or Agamoid lizards 

 with expansible ribs, are set apart in an 

 independent genus.^" 



The genus Coluber was intended to em- 

 brace all the snakes, except those with a 

 rattle or undivided abdominal and caudal 

 scutes,^^ and hence the vipers and copper- 

 heads, so very closely related to the rattle- 

 snakes, were combined with ordinary 

 snakes instead of with their true rela- 

 tions.'-^ 



Many of the genera of Linne, in fact, 

 were very incongruous, and tlie great Swede 

 not infrequently failed to interpret and 

 apply their characters in the allocation of 

 species. A few cases furnished by com- 

 mon European or American fishes will 

 illustrate what is meant. 



Specimens of the common gunnell or 

 butterfish were received by Linne at dif- 

 ferent times and once referred to his genus 

 Ophidian and at .another time to the genus 

 Blennius, and the same species stands 

 under both names in the last two editions 

 of his "Systema." 



The common toadfish of the Americans 

 {Opsanus tan) was placed in the genus 

 Gadus (tail) and a nearly related species 

 of the Indian Ocean was referred to the 

 genus Cottus {grunniens) . 



The common ten-pounder of the Amer- 

 ican coast served as the type and only 

 species of the genus Flops, and also as a 

 second species of the genus Argentina, 

 although the characters given were in de- 

 cided discord with those used for the latter 



^"Lacerta. "Corpus (Testa Alisve) nudum, 

 caudatum " contrasting with Draco. " Corpus Alis 

 volatile." S. N., '66, 349. 



" Coluber. " Scuta abdominalia ; squamse cau- 

 dales " contrasting with " Crotalus. Scuta ab- 

 dominalia caudaliaque cum crepitaculo " and 

 " Boa. Scuta abdominalia caudaliaque absque 

 crepitaculo." S. N., '66, 349. 



'^ As an example of Coluber a figure (tab. 3, 

 fis;. 2) of a snake with venom fangs is gi'"3n. 



