THE LAWSEE. 779 



the capacions mouth will open, and in rashes the entire host of little ones ; the ugly 

 maw is at once closed, and oflf she rushes to a place of security, where again the little 

 captives are set at liberty." 



As indicated in the synonymy above, this fish has been made the sub- 

 ject of many nominal species, most of them based on specimens in the 

 Museum at Paris. The discovery that the dififerenceg in color and size 

 are merely sexual differences, which, by the way, was the first piece of 

 ichthyological work attempted by the present writer, has caused them 

 to fall into the synonymy. After laboriously distinguishing twelve 

 '' species ", among the thirty or so specimens at his disposal, M. Dameril 

 very naively remarks, " I am unable to determine for which, among the 

 species with a black caudal spot, the name Amia calva was intended." 



The Vernacular names of this species are rather interesting. Some 

 of its earlier describers called it Mud-fish, and this name is frequently 

 met with in anatomical works. It is very rarely heard among the fisher- 

 men. Throughout the Great Lake Region the prevailing name is Dog- 

 fish, which name is there also applied to Melanura limi, most fishermen 

 supposing the latter to be the young of Amia. In Lake Champlain it is 

 said to be called " Bow-fin "- In the Western States, the name " Lawyer " 

 is frequently applied to it, often with the remark that " this is not the 

 real Lawyer " (Lota maculosa). The alleged reason for the application^of 

 this name, as Dr. Kirtland once told me, is that " it will bite at anything, 

 and is good for nothing when caught." A correspondent of the Chicago 

 Field informs us that " these ornary customers are called Lawyers because 

 they are bull- headed and slippery." 



Of wider range than any of these names is the name Qrindle, with 

 its variations Grinnel, Grindle-fish, Brindle-fish and John A Grindle. 

 This name is applied to the fish in the Dismal Swamp Region of Vir- 

 ginia, where I have found the species abundant, and in Southern Illinois, 

 as well as in all the streams of the low country of the South where the 

 fish is known. No hint has yet been given as to its origin. The fol- 

 lowing remarks from the pen of Mr. Fred. Mather on this name are very 

 pertinent : 



" We fancy the Southern name of ' Grindle' for the Amia for scYeral reasons, one of 

 which is that no other fish bears it, and another is its striking oddity. The fish bears 

 this name, as we have seen, in nearly all the Southern states and also parts of Illinois 

 and Ohio. Its other names are all shared with other fishes, for instance, ' dog-fish ' is 

 applied to a kind of Shark, ' mud-flsh' is shared with the little Mud Minnow, Melanwra, 

 and 'lawyer', with the Ling or Eel-pout, Lota. Besides, ' grindle ' ooyers more terri- 

 tory, and is consequently less local than any of the trivial names. But who was old 

 Grindle, anyway?" 



