CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF FOOD-FISHES. 
683 
NAMES AND SYNONYMS. 
Of the specimens of fishes analyzed in connection with the investiga- 
on whose details are reported here, a considerable number were found 
i fish markets in Middletown, Connecticut. These were mostly of corn- 
ion species whose names were well known to us. By far the larger num- 
er were supplied through the kindness of Mr. E. G. Blackford, fish 
)mmissioner of the State of New York, who gave with each speci- 
en the common name, and in some cases the Latin name. Species 
ith which we were not familiar, or the names of which were for other 
>asons a matter of doubt, were referred to Dr. W. N. Rice, professor 
' natural history in this college, who was so kind as to either iden- 
fy them himself or have them identified under his supervision by an 
ssistant or advanced student. Professor Rice tells me that the specific 
fferences are sometimes difficult to distinguish in specimens that have 
ien distorted in packing and transportation, so that it is not impos- 
ble that errors may have been made. I can not believe, however, that 
ith the literature of the subject, and many typical specimens in the col- 
ge museum, conveniently at hand and freely used, many or serious 
■ istakes could have occurred. 
There may perhaps be no obligation in a monograph on the chemistry 
fish to lay much stress upon the natural history of the subject; but 
lad desired to group the specimens in accordance with their natural 
lationships, and especially to put the analyses of the same species 
gether, thinking that such a comparison of the chemical characters 
)uld be of interest, and hence desired to have the classification as 
rrect as might be. In the following list of American fishes the 
mes given in Dr. Jordan’s Catalogue of Fishes of North America* 
i»nve been adopted. 
I am under obligations not only to the gentlemen named, but also 
to Prof. D. S. Jordan and Dr. T. H. Bean for assistance in the prepara- 
tion of the list of synonyms. 
In preliminary reports of the present investigation published in the 
reports of the U. S. Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries for 1880 and 
1883, some of the Latin names employed differ from those here given. 
The list contains the names used in this report with Latin and English 
synonyms. Where the names in former reports differ from those here 
used they are included in the list of synonyms. The English names 
are mostly those given by Jordan and Gilbert. The French and Ger- 
man names are taken from Giintlier’s Catalogue, except that one or 
two of the German names are as given by Linn6. 
* Report U. S. Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries for 1885, pp. 787-973. 
