182 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 



has skinny tufts over the eyes, which are wanting in the hitter. Yet 

 the BlennhfS serpentinus has a very elongated form and no superciliary 

 tufts, and the Pholis svhhifarcatus has also an elongated form, and 

 therefore no resemblance to a true Pholis. In fact the two species 

 belong to a different family from Blennius and PliolU, and are related 

 to each other. They are the stich^ids now named Leptoljlennius ser- 

 pentinus and Eiimesogrammus suljhifurcatus. 



The want of appreciation of the value of words as well as of natural 

 relations was also manifested in the treatment of the ilat-fishes. Cuvier 

 had divided the typical pleuronectids into three genera, or, as he called 

 them, subgenera: Platessa, distinguished by a row of obtuse trenchant 

 teeth on the jaws; Wjypoglossus., having strong pointed teeth, and 

 Hkomhus., including the turbots. While professedly adopting these 

 genera, he referred to Platessa several species {dentafa,, ollonga., qua- 

 droccllata)^ which are really more nearly allied to the halibut and Euro- 

 pean species associated with that fish. Cuvier had not referred to the 

 American species, and Storer had consequently to do for himself. 



The last genus that requires attention is Ckireharias. The part of 

 the History referring to it was published in 1807. As early as 1841 

 Midler and Henle had published their great work on plagiostomes and 

 the sharks of the American coasts had long been referred to their 

 proper genera; but all the labor was lost, so far as Storer was con- 

 cerned, Four species were referred by him to the genus. Only one 

 {(/bscarus) has the characters assigned in the diagnosis. One {gj'iseios) 

 is an Odontaspis^ another {vulpes) an Alopias, and the fourth {atwoodi) 

 is the great white b\i^y\<. {Carcha7'odo7i carcharias). It will be thus 

 seen that his four species of Carcharnas belong to four families of 

 Midler and Henle and most modern systematists. 



If we examine his descriptions we too often find that while they fill 

 every requisite as to length, there is too much perfunctor}' verbiage 

 and too little precision. For example, the "form" of the striped bass, 

 as well as of " the Spanish mackerel" {Scomher del'oyf or collas)^ is said 

 to be "cylindrical," v/hile the common mackerel is claimed to have 

 the "body elongated." Now there is really no difference in form 

 between the two mackerels-', and that form is as nearly fusiform as 

 anj' fish can have. Anyone who knows what a cylinder is would be 

 so misled by Storer's description that he would be precluded from 

 identifying the striped bass from the description — if he relied on it. 

 The mackerels are certainlj^ elongated, but so is an eel and so also is a 

 hairtail. It is evident, therefore, that the unqualified adjective is alto- 

 gether too vague and meaningless. These examples of the want of 

 precision and misuse of terms must sufince. 



Another feature which may excite the surprise of the new student 



ain his Report (p. 46) Storer attributed to "Scomber colias" a "form elongated, very round and 

 plump," and omitted all mention of the form of "Scomber vernalis." The italics are Storer's. 



