DR. D. H. STORER’S REPORT. 
To His Excellency, 
Epwarp Everett, Esgq., 
Governor of Massachusetts : 
Having been appointed, with several other gentlemen, ‘‘to make 
a further and thorough Geological, Mineralogical, Botanical, and 
Zoological Survey of this Commonwealth,” the departments of Ich- 
thyology and Herpetology were entrusted tome. I was expected to 
make as faithful and accurate a catalogue of our Fishes and Reptiles, 
together with a general notice of each species, as our present knowl- 
edge would allow. With alacrity, the duty was entered upon,—and, 
by being enabled to interest some of our fishermen, and several pro- 
fessional friends in various parts of the state, no small advance has 
been made in the work. In connection with this, a collection of 
species has been commenced, and presented to the Boston Society 
of Natural History. So little attention has been paid by scientific 
men, to say nothing of the community at large, to the branches re- 
ferred to, that my means of acquiring the necessary information are 
extremely limited; and my progress, compared with the gentlemen 
who have undertaken to report upon the other branches of our Na- 
tural History, is very slow. Much time and labor are requisite to 
ascertain and determine species with accuracy, as well as to remove 
existing errors. The season had so far advanced, when the appoint- 
ment was made, that many species could not be examined, the com- 
mon names of which, are familiar to all. In different parts of New 
England, and even of this state, different species have oftentimes the 
same name applied to them; and it is absolutely necessary to receive 
specimens of each, to settle the species. Thus we are able to learn 
