42 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM. 



running well up into tide-water where it is fresh. Others never 

 wander so far from .salt water. From a naturalist's point of view 

 the most interesting region is that of the dark cedar or pine- 

 stained streams of the lower half of the state. In these usually 

 still and quiet streams are correspondingly dull and quiet-man- 

 nered fishes. There are not many species represented, perhaps 

 only a minnow or so, a darter, several small sunfish, a black 

 cat-fish, pike, and several mud-loving fishes such as the sucker, 

 mud minnow and mud sunfish. A noticeable feature of all these 

 fish is that they are as a rule much darker than corresponding 

 examples from the uplands, in fact they have been taken almost 

 black in some cases. This deep pigment is probably due to the 

 dark water in which they live as it does not appear to be associ- 

 ated further with any structural differentiation. The alpine or 

 northwestern part of the state undoubtedly bears much in com- 

 mon with the more common upland fishes of the contiguous 

 regions of Pennsylvania and New York, so far as has been deter- 

 mined. As much of our information concerning the various 

 faunas is at present very incomplete, it is impossible to present a 

 complete list of the fishes of all streams. I have, however, from 

 time to time been enabled to make fairly representative lists of 

 some of the streams and localities from which I know positively 

 of the occurrence of the said species either from my own observa- 

 tion or that of others apparently reliable. As neither time or space 

 will permit I am at present unable to go intO' a detailed discussion 

 of this most interesting subject. I hope in the future, however, 

 to present a more or less complete review of this work which will 



be still more valuable with additional research. 



« 



FAUNAL WORKS. 



The, first mention, so far as I can gather at present, of New 

 Jersey fishes seems to be the interesting account quoted from 

 Mahlon Stacy's letter of April 26th, 1680, by Dr. Charles C. 

 Abbott. This was evidently from Trenton and gives but a few 

 of the vernaculars, among which is "sheep's-heads," thought by 

 Dr. Abbott to be the chub, Semotiliis, but most likely were in 

 reality Catostomiis commersonnii. This letter, however, is very 

 largely of interest as a historical feature. 



