141 
Fantolites or Powelstone. It is 
grey filled with minute bluish 
round oolitic spots not larger 
than millet, these round grains 
are solid : the general fracture is 
angular as usual. It occurs near 
Milton above the Red Shale, in 
large nodular masses in place, 
and also near Easton but in frag- 
ments out of place probably di- 
luvial. Dr. PowelLthought this 
the true Oolite, but it is quite dif- 
ferent from it. 
Oolites are also indicated as 
found in New Jersey, New York 
and Ohio, but unless properly 
described it is not possible to 
aver which kind is meant. 
C. S.R. 
103. The Fishes oe the Uni- 
ted States. 
Many splendid works have 
been published on our birds; but 
none yet on our beautiful and 
valuable fishes. I have long had 
in contemplation a general histo- 
ry of our finny tribes, after de- 
scribing 100 N. Sp. of fish in the 
single river Ohio; but such works 
are not yet sufficiently patroni- 
zed. Lesueur who had collected 
so many beautiful drawings of 
our lake fishes, has never been 
able to publish them. Dr. De- 
kay of New York once told me 
that he had begun a natural his- 
tory of our fishes, which has 
never appeared. I am told that 
Dr. Holbrook of Charleston is 
writing the history of our South- 
ern fishes. Much remains to be 
done in this branch of Natural 
History, and to prove it, it will 
be sufficient to state that I have 
discovered and figured already 
SCO N. Sp. and many new genera 
of fishes from the river Ohio and 
branches, Mississippi, Potomac, 
Susquchannah, Delaware, Hud- 
son, and Lake Erie and oth^ 
lakes, the Atlantic Ocean, &c. 
In August 1831, in my fifth 
Zoological letter to Cuvier 2d 
series, I informed him that we 
had about 1000 species of fishes 
ill our streams and lakes, of which 
700 are yet undescribed, and I 
determined their stations as fol- 
lows, dividing them into 10 ich- 
thyological regions of fresh wa- 
ter, each having a peculiar gene- 
ration of finny tribes. 
1. Region. Qf the Gre^t Lakes 
St.Lawrence& affluent streams. 
2. North Atlantic Region, 
from Maine to the Chesapeak, 
Hudson, Connecticut, Delaware 
and Susquehannah Rivers. 
3. South Atlantic, froffl the 
Chesapeake and Potomac to Flo- 
rida. 
4. Florida streams and lakes. 
6. Mexican gulf, streams and 
rivers of Alabama, &c. 
6. Louisiana or Lower Mis- 
sissippi, Red R. Arkansas, &c. 
7. Ohio and branches, Tennes- 
see, Cumberland, &c. 
8. Upper Mississippi, Illinois, 
and branches. 
9. Missouri & affluent streams. 
10. Region of Oregon, in the 
R. Oregon and branches. 
All these Regions have each at 
least 150 species of fishes, and 
deducting l-3d from each for 
those few common to several re- 
gions, 1000 sp. will remain in the 
whole. The regions 4, 5, 6, and 
10 are entirely unexplored by 
science. 
To these 10 regions of fresh 
water fishes, w r e must add three 
regions for sea fishes. 
1. Atlantic Region. 
2. Southern Region. 
3. Mexican gulf. 
Each must afford £00 or 300 
sp, many of which must be t*ew. 
