EDITORIAL INTRODUCTION. XXXV 
There are a couple of interesting cases, however, of names conferred on 
American fishes on account of their manifestation in masses reminding 
fishermen of species familiar to them at their European homes ; they are 
Capelin and Mossbunker. Both are relics of the former domination in 
parts of America of two alien peoples. 
In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, French vessels were to be 
seen in large numbers on the banks of Newfoundland and off the shores of 
that island. Some of the sailors were natives of the Mediterranean coast. 
In the fall of the year they saw immense schools of fishes approaching 
towards the shore and were reminded of similar scenes along the Mediter- 
ranean coast. The European fish was a small Cod called the Capelan, and 
that name was likewise given to the fish of the New-found-land which made 
a like show in the water. The individual fish, however, is very unlike the 
true Capelan. Nevertheless, the American fish, which is much more like 
a Smelt than a Cod, not only retained the name among the French fisher- 
men, but that name with slight changes (Capelin, Caplin, etc.) was adopted 
by the English, and is now the general name in Newfoundland and New 
Brunswick on the east and Alaska on the west. 
The Dutch settlers of New York introduced a name for the same reason. 
Dutch fishermen and shore men had been wont to see large schools of a 
fish which the English called Scad or Horse Mackerel, but which they 
named Marsbanker—the Zrachurus trachurus of naturalists. In their 
new home they met with equally large or still larger schools, which acted 
very much like schools of Marsbankers, and they transferred the name to 
the constituents of those schools. Individually, however, the two are 
very different, the European fish being related to the Mackerels, while the 
American is affine to the Herrings, and in appearance resembles a Shad. 
The English conquerors of New York and the new settlers, nevertheless, 
continued the name under a slightly different orthographical guise, and 
such variants as Mossbunker, Marsbancker, Marshbanker, Massbanker, 
Mossbonker, Marshbunker, Morsebonker, Morsebunker, Mousebunker, 
and the docked name Bunker! (All these and others have appeared in 
print at some time or other.) Mossbunker is still the prevalent name about 
New York, but Menhaden now rules as a trade name and in scientific 
literature. : 
Menhaden introduces us to another class of names —those of Indian 
origin. Naturally, the Indians had names for all fishes of economical 
value and even for others. A few only, however, were adopted by the new 
