^a^caloncre, Pil^e, Pickerel and 



Pil^e-Perd). 



THIS country has long been notable for the confusion which exists in the 

 common names of its fishes, and it is doubtful if any amount of instruction 

 on the subject will correct the evil of calling a fish by a name which does 

 not belong to it, and never should have been applied to it. The Latin 

 name of the large-mouthed black bass means that it is " trout-like " (literally, salmon- 

 like), and has a small fin, although it is not like a trout and it has not a small fin ; 

 but when the fish was first classified by a French naturalist. Lacepede, the specimen 

 was sent from one of the Southern States, where the fish is known as a trout, and as 

 the particular specimen happened to have a broken fin, the genus was baptized 

 Micropterus, little fin, and the name must stick to the fish as long as it swims, because 

 with scientists the law of priority in the classification and naming of fishes is as 

 unchangeable as the laws of the Medes and the Persians. 



Admitting the justice of the custom of scientists regarding the scientific names of 

 our fishes, is there any good reason why inappropriate and incorrect common names 

 should be applied to our fishes and persisted in when the appropriate and correct 

 names are pointed out ? It is not alone incorrect names applied to fishes which cause 

 confusion, but a variety of names are applied to the same fish in different localities. 

 For instance, the pike-perch is called also wall-eyed pike, glass eye, horn fish, dory, 

 jack, jack salmon, green pike, blue pike, yellow pike, white pike, okow, and, of all 

 things, salmon! It is known also, locally, as Champlain pike, Susquehanna pike, etc 

 The cousin of the pike-perch, properly the sauger, or sand-pike, is called gray pike, 

 ground pike, pickering and pickerel. 



The rock bass is called goggle-eye, red-eye, and lake bass. The biue-nosed sun- 

 fish is called copper-nosed bream, and dollarel. The crappie is called new light, 

 Campbellite, bachelor, bride's perch, strawberry perch, chinquapin perch, and sac-a-lai. 

 The calico bass is called grass bass, barfish, bitterhead, tin-mouth, sand perch and sac- 

 a-lai ; but it is not necessary to extend this list, except that I was recently asked to 

 identify a fish called "silver bass, exactly like the black bass except in color," and 

 found after considerable search that it was a name applied in Ohio to the mooneye or 

 toothed herring. 



In this State the statutes even err in the common names of some of our fishes. 

 Pickerel are mentioned in the Game Law when the fish meant is really the pike, and 



