46 ICHTHYOLOGIA OHIENSIS 



Lakes, and all the immense bason of the Missouri 

 and Mississippi, except the eastern branch of the 

 Ohio : all those regions having never been explored 

 by any real naturalists. From those who are actu- 

 ally surveying the river Missouri much may be 

 expected ; but I venture to foretell that many of the 

 fishes of the Ohio will be found common to the great- 

 est part of the streams communicating with it, and 

 therefore throughout the Mississippi and Missouri, 

 whence the ichthyology of the Ohio, will be a pretty 

 accurate specimen of the swimming tribes of all the 

 western waters; while in Mexico, the North West 

 Coast, and in the basin of the St. Lawrence or even 

 in the Floridian waters, a total difference of inhab- 

 itants may be detected : since I have already ascer- 

 tained that out of one hundred species of Ohio fishes, 

 there are hardly two similar to those of the atlantic 

 streams. 



I have in contemplation to visit many other west- 

 ern streams and lakes, where I have no doubt to reap 

 many plentiful harvests of other new animals ; mean- 

 time communications on the fishes of every western 

 stream are solicited from those, who may be able and 

 willing to furnish them. 



It is probable that some of the fishes of the Missis- 

 sippi are anadromic or come annually from the gulf 

 of Mexico to spawn in that stream and its lower 

 branches ; but all the fishes of the Ohio remain per- 

 manently in it, or at utmost travel down the Missis- 

 sippi during the winter, although the greatest 

 proportion dwell during that season in the deep 

 spots of the Ohio [I. 308] [<?] This is proved by 

 their early appearance at the same time in all the 

 parts of the river and even as high as Pittsburgh. 



