322 Fishes. 
FISHES— NEW SPECIES. 
During the visit of Prof. M. Agassiz to this city for the pur- 
pose of delivering a series of lectures, on natural history, it was 
our good fortune to obtain from our friend Simmons, three speci- 
mens of fish which were brought from Oneida Lake. At the time 
of purchasing we were not aware of obtaining a new variety or 
species, that had escaped the notice of Dr. DeKay in the natural 
history of the state. Two of them being new to us, we presented 
them to Prof Agassiz for examination, who immediately said they 
had not been noticed in the above work, nor by any naturalist. 
The "mud-fish," as the Prof calls it, we purchased for a musca- 
lunge! Never having seen one, we purchased it for our table, 
supposing we should have a rarity, which, no doubt, would have 
been the case, but not of that kind to please the palate. 
The centrarchus, as the Professor calls it, is a very fine look- 
ing fish, resembling in external appearance, in a measure, the 
common sun-fish of our lakes and streams, but larger and more 
beautifully marked. The pickerel, to us, looked just like — a 
pickerel. 
The following letter was received a few days since from our 
friend Agassiz, which we take great pleasure in laying before our 
readers, and feel not a little gratified that our Journal should be 
the medium by which it should first be made known: 
Dear Sir — I ought to have thanked you sooner for the fishes 
from Lake Oneida, which you presented me. They have proved 
highly interesting. The mud-fish, Jimia occidenfalis, was not 
known to occur in the state of New York, except in Lake Cham- 
plain. The pickerel which might have been mistaken for Esox 
.sucias, has proved, after close comparison witii European speci- 
mens, to be a distinct species; and as to the other fish, it is alto- 
gether new. It belongs to the genus Centrarchus and is allied to 
the C. sparoides of South Carolina, but from actual comparison 
•with southern species, I have ascertained that it is a distinct spe- 
cies. A few days ago I received another specimen of the same 
species from Chicago, through the kindness of Mr. Clarke. 
My draftsman having left me for the west, I have not been able 
to have a drawing of it made for you. 
Sincerely yours, 
M. AGASSIZ. 
