EASTMAN : DESCRIPTIONS OF BOLCA FISHES. 13 



led into supposing certain species to be identical with modern tropical 

 forms, and his somewhat fanciful theories to explain their occurrence in 

 northern Italy plunged him into a spirited controversy with another 

 prominent naturalist, Domenica Testa. Their letters, written in a style 

 that is both elegant and incisive, show wide erudition and good argu- 

 mentative ability on both sides. The correspondence was finally col- 

 lected and published in book form, with comments of his own, by 

 Count Giambattista Gazola ^ of Verona, in 1793 and 1794. 



By this time a very lively interest had arisen in regard to the fishes 

 of Monte Bolca, and the Veronese collections became greatly aug- 

 mented as the result of excavations that had been undertaken on pur- 

 pose to secure them. The culmination of this activity was marked by 

 the appearance in 1796 of an elaborate work by G. Serafino Volta, 

 entitled Ittiolitologia Veronese. In the compilation of this famous 

 monograph, which was illustrated by nearly fourscore excellent plates, 

 Volta was aided by several collaborators, chief amongst whom was 

 Count Gazola himself. Volta had already published in 1789 a list of 

 the fossil fishes occurring at Monte Bolca,^ in which about one hundred 

 species were enumerated, and of these twenty-five were erroneously 

 identified with recent forms. The determinations in his final memoir 

 were scarcely more fortunate, Agassiz having afterwards declared that 

 there was only one^ adequately established species in the whole work, 

 that one being Blochius longirostris. The practical value of Volta's 

 work, however, was immeasurably increased by the redetermination of 

 his originals, an authentic list of the figured specimens being published 

 by Agassiz * in 1833. In this list Volta's originals are regarded as 

 belonging to 90 species and 69 genera, all of the species being marine, 

 and none of them represented in the existing fauna. 



1 Gazola, G., Lettere recentemente pubblicate sui pesci fossili veronesi, con 

 annotazioiii inediti agli estratti delle medesime. Milan, 1793, and Verona, 1794. 



2 Volta, G. S., Degl' impietrimenti del Territorio Veronese, etc. Lettera al Sig. 

 Vincenzo Bozza, 1789. Idem, Prospetto del Museo Bellisomi. 1787. 



^ This is not strictly true. The names of over a dozen species described by 

 Volta as new are rejected by Agassiz, and otiiers substituted, for the reason that 

 the forms were regarded in the first instance as belonging to existing genera. A 

 list of the species wiiicii should properly be credited to Volta is as follows : 



Blochius longirostris, Eocottus veronensis, Ephippns asper, Ductor vestenae, Mene 

 rhombeus, Monopterus gir/ns, Platax papilio, Pyqacm bolcanus, Pycnodus apodus, Rham- 

 phosHS rastnuu, Rhinellus lesini/hrinis, Semiophorus velifer, Vomeropsis trii(nis, Xip/ioii- 

 terus /(dcatus. 



* Agassiz, L., Revue critique des Poissons Fossiles figures dans I'lttiolitologia 

 Veronese. Neuchatel, 1833. Also in German in the Neues Jahrbuch for 1835. 



