i ES : 
"oU... 
Fishes of Massachusetts. 415 
of New York," and that Cuvier, in his notes to 
the Regne Animal, considers as the “Cyprinodon 
flavulus,” Valenc. As the branchiostegous mem- 
brane has but five rays, it cannot be a “Cypri- 
nodon," Lacep. the species of that genus having 
six rays. It is, however, evidently Mitchell’s fish, 
incorrectly called by him an * Esor. Although 
placed by him in a family to which it did not be- 
long, still; as Le Sueur's genus was formed three 
years after Mitchell's description was drawn up, and 
as Mitchell accurately described it, his specific name 
has the priority ; most cheerfully, therefore, is the 
specific name applied by me, relinquished. Mitchell 
calls it the “ New York Gudgeon :;" by our fisher- 
men, however, it is known by the name of ‘Basse 
Fry,’ from its resemblance in the bands to the 
“Striped Basse." I have adopted this common name. 
The following is my description, extracted from 
the first volume, page 418: Four longitudinal bands 
on each side of the body; and three transverse bands 
between the termination of the longitudinal bands 
and the base of the tail. 'The upper part of the 
body is of a yellowish green; on each side are four 
dark colored bands, running almost the entire length 
of the fish ; the first of these is high on the back ; 
the second passes from the upper edge of the oper- 
culum, in a direct line to its termination; the re- 
maining two, commencing back of the pectoral fin, 
run obliquely upwards and backwards, to a point on 
aline with the centre of the ventral fin, then turn 
gently down, and are continued parallel with the 
. two other bands. 
