AUDUBON AND RAFINESQUE — 293 
As a specimen of these spurious fish stories, which 
were previously published in both America and Europe, 
we reproduce a part of Rafinesque’s description of the 
“91st. Species. Devil-Jack Diamond-fish. Litholepis 
adamantinus”: 
This may be reckoned the wonder of the Ohio. It is only 
found as far up as the falls, and probably lives also in the 
Mississippi. I have seen it, but only at a distance, and have 
been shown some of its singular scales. Wonderful stories are 
related concerning this fish, but I have principally relied upon 
the description and figure given me by Mr. Audubon. Its 
length is from 4 to 10 feet. One was caught which weighed 
four hundred pounds. It lies sometimes asleep or motionless 
on the surface of the water, and may be mistaken for a log 
or a snag. It is impossible to take it in any other way than 
with the seine or a very strong hook, the prongs of the gig 
cannot pierce the scales which are as hard as flint, and even 
proof against lead balls! Its flesh is not good to eat. It isa 
voracious fish: Its vulgar names are Diamond fish, (owing to its 
scales being cut like diamonds) Devil fish, Jack fish, Garjack, 
&c. . . . The whole body covered with large stone scales laying 
in oblique rows, they are conical, pentagonal, and pentedral 
with equal sides, from half an inch to one inch in diameter, 
brown at first, but becoming of the colour of turtle shell when 
dry: they strike fire with steel! and are ball proof! 
While we cannot defend Audubon in his treatment 
of Rafinesque, it would be hardly fair to judge such 
incidents wholly in the light of after events, for, as our 
narrative will show, it is unlikely that he ever saw 
Rafinesque or heard of him again until long years after 
this incident, certainly not until after his “Episode” 
was published in 1831.° Rafinesque evidently enjoyed 
8 Probably not before October of that year, when Audubon first 
met John Bachman, at Charleston, South Carolina. 
