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THE AMERICAN NATURALIST [Vol. LIII 



angnilliform and squamous forms of the Rcversus— a 

 figure of the latter being given. He also need not de- 

 tain us. 



From this time on a long succession of writers repeat 

 the tale. Thus we find it in Shaw's "Zoology," Vol. IV, 

 1803; Humboldt's "Essai Politique sur I'lle de Cuba" 

 (1826), his ''Receuil d 'Observations de Zoologie et Ana- 

 tomic Comparee (1833) and in the "Personal Narra- 

 tive" (English translation, 1860). We also find it in 

 most if not all of the "Lives" of Columbus, notably 

 Ti-ving's (1828), Winsor's (1892), and last and best 

 Tliadier's (1903). 



To these foregoing accounts we may add a brief note 

 which may be of interest. Bernabe Cobo was a Spaniard 

 (born 1582, died 1657) who wrote his "Historia del Nuevo 

 Mundo" and at his death left it in manuscript where it 

 remained until found, edited and published by the Span- 

 ish naturalist, Marcos Jimenez de la Espada, towards 

 the close of the last century. Volume II, Sevilla, 1891, 

 contains Cobo's story wiiicli turns out to be the familiar 

 paraphrase of Oviedo's account. Absolutely nothing 

 new is added. 



AVe ]iow conn* to a consideration of the sources of the 

 various accounts of the use of the sucking fish as a living 

 tish-liook in the West Indies. First of all plainly these 

 later accounts are all echoes of Peter Martyr, or of 

 Oviedo, or of both. Then these further questions nat- 

 urally arise: Is Peter Martyr's '-Ih-c-Aih' of the Ocean" 

 ill 1511 the first account jiuhlishcd And s(>coiidly what 

 is the ultimate source of these earliest accounts .' in 

 answering these questions I havi" had three inxaliiahh' 

 sources of information. The one is Justin Winsor's 

 keenly critical life of Cliristo])her ("nhiinlnis. 1h.- second 

 is .lohii Woytl Thaclier's nioniinieiital w ork on ( 'oliinibus 

 iVnl 11, lIHi:;) ,-,nd the third i> the continued advice and 

 unfailing help of my friend, the late Dr. Charles K. East- 



