35 
and sometimes in the distribution of bands, stripes, &c. In 
many cases, the learned doctor goes much further, and supposes 
even these forms to be subject to such variations as no specific 
characters would remain, and so, only to quote one example, to 
have the satisfaction of uniting the gonorhyncTius of the Cape 
with those of Japan and of Australia, he is obliged to suppose a 
sort whose proportions vary according to age, which sort does 
not exist. 
I also think that Dr. Grunther shows too little attention to 
the geographical distribution of fishes. He delights in stating 
that a sort from the Northern Sea is found at the Cape of Good 
Hope ; that another from the coast of Senegal inhabits also the 
Antarctic Sea. Even fresh-water fishes, whose habitat had, till 
now, been considered as very limited, are submitted by him to 
the same process, and sorts from the rivers of Chili are united 
with those of Tasmania, or English sorts are said to be found in 
New Zealand. In many eases he asserts that they are not entirely 
similar, and even goes so far as to propose names for those 
varieties, but nevertheless they must be included under the same 
specific names. He seems to admit too easily new localities, 
and so, to give one example, the largest of all fresh-water 
fishes, the Firarucu (sudis vastres), is said, on the authority 
of a dealer, to inhabit Bahia, without telling us what 
river of that locality is capable of feeding such a giant. 
The truth is, that it is restricted to the Amazonas and to its 
northern branches. It is also found in those of the rivers of 
Guyana, whose head waters, during a part of the year, or at least 
in floods, communicate with the branches I have just mentioned. 
The old authors, such as Bloch, Lacepede, &c., never hesi- 
tated to state that a species inhabited Greenland and India ; 
but under the scrutiny of Cuvier and Valenciennes these sweep- 
ing assertions generally proved incorrect, and new ideas were 
introduced on the distribution of sorts in the waters of the world. 
But after having studied Dr. Gunther’s work with the attention 
it so well deserves, one finds onself once more wandering in a 
complete sea of uncertainty, and it will take years of careful 
study to re-establish some rules in this part of geographical 
zoology. This I consider as the greatest fault in Dr. Gunther’s 
most valuable work. 
