Vlll 



INTRODUCTION. 



they amount to five-sixths of the whole. The Clupeidte are an exception, in which 

 all the species are apparently new. 



All the species described, belonging to the three families above mentioned, in 

 which there are so many new, viz. the Siluridce, the Cyprinidce, and Salmonidce, 

 are from South America, and the Falkland Islands, excepting one from New 

 Zealand. 



Of the remaining fresh-water fishes in the collection, three out of five are 

 presumed to be new. One of these is a species of Perca, from the Santa Cruz 

 river, in South Patagonia ; the second is a species of Dules, from the river 

 Matavai, in Tahiti ; the third a species of Atherina, from Valparaiso. Perhaps, 

 however, this last is not strictly an inland species. 



The entire number of fresh-water species in the collection is twenty-three, 

 and the entire number of new ones amongst these is eighteen. The large 

 proportion of these latter is a circumstance in confirmation of a remark which 

 Cuvier has somewhere made, that the fresh- water fishes of foreign countries are 

 much less known and understood than those found on the coasts. It may serve 

 also as a hint to future travellers. 



The seven new genera in the collection belong— one to the Scicenidce, from 

 the Galapagos Archipelago ;— one to the Scombridce, from North Patagonia ;— 

 three to the Blennidce, whereof one is from the Archipelago of Chiloe, the second 

 from the Falkland Islands, and the third from New Zealand ;— one to the Cy- 

 prinidce, embracing three species, from South Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego, and 

 New Zealand ; and, lastly, one to the Salmonidce, embracing two species from the 

 Falkland Islands and Tierra del Fuego respectively. 



It has been already mentioned, that all the species obtained by Mr. Darwin 

 in the Galapagos Archipelago have been preserved. As they are likewise all 

 new, and those islands appear to have been scarcely visited by any naturalist 

 previously, it may be interesting to enumerate the several genera to which they 

 belong, and the number of species in each genus respectively. 



Sehranos 3 species. Fam. PERCID^l. 



Prionotus 



ScORP-SENA 



Prionodes N.G 

 Pristipoma . . 



Latilus 



Chrysophrys 

 Gobius .... 

 COSSYPHUS . , 

 GoBIESOX 

 MllRiENA .... 



Tetrodon . . 



TRIGLID,E. 



scoitp^Nnm 



SCLENIDiE. 



SPARID*. 



GOBIDiE. 



LABRIM. 



CYCLOPTERID^. 



ANGUILLirm 



TETRODONTID^E. 



y ACANTHOPTERYGII. 



I MALACOPTERYGII. 

 J 



PLECTOGNATHI. 



