M 



INTRODUCTION. 



It may be interesting to state more particularly from what localities the new 

 species principally come, and what proportion they bear to the entire number 

 brought from each of those localities. Thus from Brazil about half are considered 

 new ; — from Patagonia at least half; — fromTierra del Fuego, the Falkland Islands, 

 and the Galapagos Archipelago, all are new, without exception ; and nearly all 

 from Chiloe, and the coasts of Chile and Peru. Of the species brought from 

 Tahiti, New Holland, and the Indian Ocean, not above one-fourth are new. This 

 might have been anticipated from the better knowledge which we have of the 

 Ichthyology of that quarter of the globe, than of South America. 



It is much to be regretted that the portion of the collection which has been 

 lost to science, was obtained in localities most abounding in novelties, judging 

 from that portion of it which has been saved. Thus, not above five or six species 

 will be found noticed in the following work, from Tierra del Fuego, where Mr. 

 Darwin took especial pains to collect all he could, and, judging from his manu- 

 script catalogue, he must probably have obtained between thirty and forty. 

 From the Falkland Islands again, there have been only saved two out of fifteen 

 or sixteen, — from the coasts of Chile and Peru, not half the entire number 

 obtained, and not above half from the coasts of Patagonia. 



There is also described not above half the species brought from King 

 George's Sound, and the Keeling Islands ; but as the Indian and Australian 

 species, or at least the former, have been more frequently brought to Europe than 

 the South American, they are less to be regretted than these last. 



It is fortunate that the whole of the species obtained by Mr. Darwin in the 

 Galapagos Archipelago, amounting to fifteen, have been preserved, and are 

 described in the following pages. 



It may now be useful to mention, to what groups principally— first, the entire 

 number of described species belong, and, secondly, that portion of them which 

 are considered new. Both these points will be best judged of from the following 

 table, in which the whole collection is parcelled out according to the families. 



ACANTHOPTERYGII. 



Percid*. Entire No. of species 18 whereof new 11 



Mullid^e 3 



Triglid^; 3 . .1 



Cottid.*: 2 . . .2 



ScORPiENIDa: . . . . 4 . . .2 



Sci^Nma; 10 . .5 



SPARIDffi 1 . . .1 



M^NID^E 2 



Clla:TODONTIDiE .... 2 



45 



22 



Brought up 

 scombrid^ 

 Teuthydid^: 

 Atherinid^: 

 MueiLiDa; . 

 Blennid^; . 

 GoBiDa; 

 Labrid.se 

 lophidje 



Total 



. 45 

 . 7 

 . 2 

 . 3 

 . 3 

 . 11 

 . 3 

 . 7 

 . 1 



22 

 3 



. 82 Total, new 41 



