4 Book of the Black Bass. 



its baptismal names were, consequently, incongruous, and 

 its sponsors were, most unfortunately, foreign naturalists. 



Previous to the first edition of this book, in 1881, it 

 had been considered by American naturalists that the first 

 scientifie description of a black bass was that published 

 by Lacepede, about the year 1800, in the work just re- 

 ferred to. This description was founded upon a drawing 

 of a blaick bass, and accompanying manuscript notes, sent 

 to him by M. Bose, from the vicinity of Charleston, South 

 Carolina, with the local name of "trout," or "trout- 

 perch."* This figure, and its accompanying description, 

 were said to be so uncertain and inaccurate, that it had 

 been considered very doubtful which species of black bass 

 was intended to be represented. However, Lacepede named 

 it Labrus salmoides {Labre salmoide) — the "trout-like" 

 LabruSj in accordance with its general appearance and 

 vernacular name. The European genus Labrus embraces a 

 great many species, and some American fishes were re- 

 ferred to it by European, as well as by our early American, 

 naturalists. 



It had also been held by American ichthyologists that 

 it was after this, in 1801, that Lacepede received his first 

 example of a black bass. This was a fine adult specimen 



* Some forty years before M. Bose sent the drawing of the Caro- 

 lina " trout " to Lac6p6(le, two specimens of the same fish ' had 

 been sent to Linnaeus by Dr. Garden, of Charleston, S. C. These 

 specimens were pressed skins of one-half of the fish, retaining the 

 vertical fins, and mounted in the same manner as botanical speci- 

 mens. Linnaeus failed to describe or name them, but they are still 

 preserved in the rooms of the Linnaean Society in the Burlington 

 House, London, England, in connection with the Linnaean her- 

 barium and library. One of the examples is labeled thus by Dr. 

 Garden : " No. 40. Labbijs. Nostralib. Fresh- water Trout.'' 



