180 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 



tern. The families were not defined, and in this respect Yarrell was 

 still the exemplar. Yarrell was not followed, however, in the st3de of 

 synonymy, which was often quite misleading. For example, under 

 the caption P[ej)rilus] trlacanthus, Peck (p. 60), are references to (1) 

 "Memoirs of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, v. ii, p. 

 48, et tig. ;" (2) '^ Mitchell, Trans. Lit. et [sic!] Philosoph. Soc. N. York, 

 p. 365, et fig.;" and (3) " Cuv. et Valenc. Hist. Nat. des Poiss." In 

 not one of those works does the name "P. triacanthus^^ appear. 

 Peck (in the Memoirs) called the species Str'omateus triacantJiiLS^ 

 Mitchill (not Mitchell ^') named it Stromat<nis cryjHosus^ and for Cuvier 

 and Valenciennes (ix, p. 408) it was RJuniibiis cryptoHus. Manj' of the 

 references to pages are also erroneous. 



The slight knowledge Storer had of fishes generall}" entailed on him 

 descriptions deficient in aptness and the element of comparability, 

 and, in a few cases, they Avere obviously erroneous.* "For many 

 years," however, according to his obituarian biographer, "it [the 

 Report] Avas the standard work on our fishes and was only supplanted 

 in New England esteem by the revised, extended, and fully illustrated 

 work completed in 1867." 



The History is really an amplified edition of the Report Avith some 

 of the species that had been discovered in the meauAvhile incorporated, 

 and with plates illustrating all the species described in it but one, the 

 so-called Blennias sxthhi.furcatus^ which is a typical sticha^id. The 

 principal contributor of new material for the History Avas a master of 

 a fishing vessel, Capt. Nathaniel E. Atwood, of ProvincetoAvn, Avho had 

 acquired considerable knoAvledge of fishes generalh' and communicated 

 some interesting notes on habits to the Proceedings of the Boston 

 Society of Natural History. 



Storer claims to have "carefully redescribed all the species" for his 

 History, and it has been declared by an eulogist that "it would be 

 difficult to point out a work of greater accuracy in detail." Conse- 

 quently it has been proclaimed to be "a classic in North American 

 ichthj^ology that must serve as a basis for the future histories of the 

 New England fishes." Naturally such a work calls for examination. 

 If some discrepancy shall be found to exist between the estimate of 



«Mitchiirf9 name was always spelled Mitchell by Storer in his Report; he eorreeted it in later papers 

 and in his History. 



6 One new genua and 10 nominal new species were described in the Report, 4 of which are 

 recognized at the present time. The 4 of acknowledged validity are indicated in the following li.st 

 by italics: 



Cryptacanthodcs (n.g.) maeuMus, Storer (p. 28). 



Pholis subbij'urcatus (p. 63)=Eumesogrammus suhbifurcatus (Storer). 



Leuciscus argenteus (p. 90)=Semotilus corporalis (Mitchill, 1817). 



Leuciscus pulchellus (p. 91)=Semotilus corporalis. 



Morrhua americana (p. 120) =Gadus callarias Linnaiis, 1758. 



Platcssa ferriiginea (p. 121)=Limandaferrugmca, Storer. 



Echeneis quatuordecimlaminatus (p. 155)=Remora brachyptera (Lowe, 1839). 



Syngnathus fuscus (p. 162) =Siphos(omafuscum, Storer. 



Syngnathus peckianus (p. lC3)=Siphostoma fuscum, Storer. 



Monocanthus massachusettensis (p. 174) = Monacan thus hispidus (Linnttus, 1758). 



