﻿FIELD AND FOREST. 1 89 



I. Lepomis, Raf. 



The Sunfishes were first grouped under a distinctive name by Raf- 

 inesque in 1819, in the Journal de Physique (p. 420), and the genus 

 named Lepomis was especially based on the Labrus auritus of Lin- 

 naeus. Therefore it must be restricted to whatever group is typified 

 by that species. This question, however, involves one of specific 

 identification, some naturalists connecting it with the common red 

 and black-eared Sunfish, and others with the large long black-eared 

 species. The doubt must be settled by reference to the writings of 

 Linnaeus. 



Linnaeus, first in 1758, in the tenth edition of Systema Naturae, * 

 p. 283, introduced the Labrus auritus as follows : 



auritus. 9. L. cauda bifida, opercu- 

 lis branchiarum pinnifor- 



mibus. D.^.P.i5.V.6.A.T3.C.i7. 



Habitat in Philadelphia. Mus. De Geer. 



In 1766, in the twelfth edition of the same work, p. 475, he re- 

 described it as follows: . 



auritus. 9. L. cauda bifida, operculis 

 branchiarum pinniformibus. 



B.6.D.^.P.i5. V.e.A^.C.i?; 



Catesb. car. 2. p. 8. t. 8. f. 



3. Perca fluviatilis gibbo- 



sa, ventre luteo? 

 Habitat in Americae septenh'ionalis aquis dulcibus. D. 



Garden. 

 Cauda biloba. Lrides lutei. Opera/ la apice membra- 



naceo, elongato, obtuso, nigro. 



Now, if these words have any meaning, it is evident that they can- 

 not be applied to the short red-eared Sunfish, but they are entirely 

 appropriate to the long black-eared species. Be it further remarked 

 that there is also no reference at first to Catesby's work, and the final 

 reference is accompanied with a mark ot doubt. There can, in truth, 

 be no question as to its?applicability to the species suggested, and its 

 inapplicability to the other species for which it has been used. The 



* It is not referred to in the edition of 1 748. % 



