History of the Black Bass. 17 



(" trout ") ever published, until recent years, is found in 

 his work, " Ichthyology of South Carolina." 



In order to show that he clearly understood the relations 

 of the black bass species, I will quote as follows : 



" The trout has, however, its representatives both in the North 

 and West, with which it is closely allied: as Grystes nigricams 

 (Euro nigricans) of Cuvier and Valenciennes, and Orystes fascia- 

 tus {CycMa faseiata) of Le Sueur, both of which have been re- 

 ferred by Agassiz to the genus Grystes." * 



Dr. Holbrook knew that the southern trout (large-mouth 

 black bass) was neither Huro nigricans (with its two dis- 

 tinct dorsal fins), nor Cichla faseiata (the small-mouth 

 bass). He called the "trout" Grystes salmoides LAC15- 

 PEDE, (not G. salmoides Cuv. & Val.), for he knew that 

 Lacepede's Ldbrus salmoides, or Bosc's Perca trutta could 

 be nothing else but the " Carolina trout " (large-mouth 

 black bass) ; and, moreover, he distinctly repudiated Cuvier 

 and Valenciennes' complex Grystes salmoides. 



Professor Agassiz clearly recognized the complex char- 

 acter of Cuvier's Grystes salmoides, saying he "probably 

 mistook specimens of our Grystes fasciatus for the south- 

 ern species."! Professor Agassiz regarded Grystes sal- 

 moides as the proper name for the southern large-mouth 

 black bass (trout), and in comparing with it Grystes fas- 

 ciatus, says : 



" The mouth is less opened and the shorter labials do not reach a 

 vertical line drawn across the hinder margin of the orbits, whilst 

 they exceed such a line in ff. salmoides." f 



• Ichthyology of South Carolina. By John Edwards Holbrook, 

 M.D. 25, 1855. 



t Agassiz, Lake Superior, p. 295, 1850. 



