684 



THE AMERICAN NATURALIST 



[Vol.. XL 



ino- attention during; the ])ast twtMitv years. Inasmuch as the 



microscopic forms, among which th{> Naiils occupy an important 

 })osition, it is evident that the tHstril.utioii of such microscopic 

 ortjanisms controls to a l-AYfre extent the fish supi)ly in any given 



The somewhat nni(]ue location of Cedar Point with the open 

 lake on the north and a portion of Sandusky Bay extremely rich 

 in acpiatic vegetation on the .south, renders the I^ake Laboratory 

 situated there a station particularly well adapted to the study of 

 the animal and plant life occurring in fresh water and to the inves- 

 tigation of the various problems of l)iological importance con- 

 nected therewith. 



The present study was carried on at the laboratory during a 

 period of six weeks in July and August, 1905, the greater portion 

 of the time, however, l)eing occupied with other work. Con- 

 sequently the record of s])ecies is undoubtedly far from com{)lete, 

 although 10 species, 7 of them new to science, are noted. The 

 large proportion of new forms indicates the present con<lition in 

 regard to the .systematic study of the Xaiils in the Tnited States, 



nevertheless it is importaiu to lay the foundations for future l)io- 

 logical .studies by first consi(h'rinu- those uroiips conlaitiinu' indi- 

 viduals resembling each other sullicientlv weH to he callcil " species." 



The principal papers dealinu' with AuKM-ieau NaiiU outride of 

 the excellent monographs of Miehaelsfn i and !5ed<hird I'H.")), 

 are those of Leidy f'oOa, oOb, 'r)2a, 'r)2b, 'SO), Minor 'Vi.ji. Keiu'h- 

 ard ('.So), Cragin ('S7), and Smith ('OO and :0(li. In addition 

 to these, papers indispensable to the student of tlie uroup have 

 been pnbhshe<l by Heddanl, Beidiam. Honnie, Ho,i>"fiehl, \Uvt- 

 .schner, Mi. haelsen. 'l^nit.er. and Vejdovsky, that of the hi^t author 

 beiuK ela^^i. Ml in it^ lunrpholoLMcal ireatni.-.U of the forms. Tlie 

 majority of the.e paper, are either in the Hl.rarvof th<" writer, or 

 ill tl,.' library of the department of l,iolo.v of K.mivou Colh-e. 

 Mention d.onld here he n.ade of the .-onrt'e^ie. extended b^ the 

 A.neriean Mnsentn <,f Natural IIi.t<,ry, New V<,rk. the library 



