A CUBAN FISHERMAN. 177 
“of a thick volume of text, Spanish folio, and of an 
atlas of ten volumes larger folio (eighteen by thirteen 
inches). The plates are made with a light indication 
of the colors, which are described in the text. All are 
original, drawn from nature by the author. . . . The text 
contains the scientific name of each species, the common 
name, the complete synonymy, a description of the colors, 
distinctive peculiarities, relations of the varieties, compari- 
sons, critical observations, and the history of the fish. It 
contains, moreover, the characters of classes, sub-classes, 
orders, families, genera, and species. The total number 
of plates in the Atlas is 1,040. These show 758 species 
of Cuban fishes, represented by 1,300 individuals in all 
stages of growth. All except the sharks are drawn of 
life-size. These 758 species, together with 24 mentioned 
at the end of the work, make up 782 species of Cuban 
fishes. Of these, 105 are doubtful, and therefore are left 
without specific names. I hold them in suspense till I 
can receive further data from the study of other speci- 
mens. There are, therefore, 677 species well determined, 
of which more than half have been first made known by 
me. Not more than a dozen species in the list have not 
been examined by me. These are inserted on the au- 
thority of writers who claim to have received their 
specimens from Cuba, and who appear to be worthy 
of confidence. The preparation of the text has cost me 
an immense amount of time and labor, by the preparatory 
studies which it has required. In the determination of 
the species it is rarely that a single one has not occupied 
me for an entire week. I have wished to make known 
the certain as certain, and the doubtful as doubtful, so 
that I shall declare nothing to be new unless it is so in 
reality.” 
The manuscripts of this great work are now in 
duplicate. Professor Poey retains one copy; the 
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