FISHES OF THE EAST COAST OF NORTH AMERICA. 783 



qualifying adjective for the specific appellativ^es. It must always be borne 

 in mind, however, that popular names can never be relied upon for the 

 determination of the species, as they vary with locality, and are applied 

 in the most arbitrary manner. Thus, the familiar Pomatomus saltatrix is 

 generally known as the ''blue-fish" at the principal centers of popula- 

 tion, (]S"ew York, &c.,) but is also called " horse-mackerel," (at j^ewport, 

 and Beesley's Point, New Jersey,) ^' tailor," (at Philadelphia and along 

 portions of the southern coast,) " white fish," " snap-mackerel," and 

 in the young state, '-skip-jack;" while, on the other hand, the name 

 ^' blue-fish" is applied to the squeteague, or weak-fish, (Cynoscion regalisj) 

 at Beesley's Point ; " horse-mackerel" is transferred to the tunny, along 

 the Massachusetts coast; *• tailor" is the name given to the fall-herring, 

 {Pomolohm mediocns,) at Washington, and the designation " white-fish" 

 is best known in connection with the coregoni. Nor are these excep- 

 tional cases. Many fishes have still more varied names along the several 

 parts of the coast, and certain appellatives fsuch as sun-fish, black-fish, 

 pike, salmon, trout, &c.) are used with still greater latitude than any 

 of those specified. 



Under such circumstances it must be obvious to all that, in order to 

 avoid great circumlocution and preliminary explanation, and to insure 

 definiteness of conception, names that are used only in one rigorous 

 sense, and respecting the application of which there can be no doubt, 

 must be desiderata^ and such conditions are only fulfilled by the scientific 

 names. At the same time, it is undoubtedly desirable that the applica- 

 tions of the popular names along the different portions of the coast shall 

 be ascertained, and therein an explanation maybe found of the conflict- 

 ing accounts given of the different species, the confusion in which the 

 histories of some species is involved being evidently due, in part, to the 

 confusion of names and the misapplication of accounts induced by their 

 diverse applications. The unraveling of this confusion will be one of the 

 objects of the Commissioner, and on a future occasion the varying names 

 and applications of names along different parts of the coast will proba- 

 bly be given in connection with the different species. 



