87 
A cursory summary, in popular terms, of the number of species 
by which each leading family is represented, will have its interest 
to the general reader. 
The largest family of our fishes is the perches (Percide), in- 
cluding the sunfishes, darters, and true perch. It is represented in 
our fauna by thirty-eight species and sixteen genera, nearly half of 
which (eighteen species) are the little darters, while the sunfishes 
(seventeen species) include most of the remainder. The next largest 
family is that of the true minnows (Cyprinide), represented by 
thirty-three species, distributed among sixteen genera. ‘There are 
twelve species of cat-fishes, four of them the small stone cats, rarely 
seen by fishermen, and thirteen of the sucker family, four of 
them buffalo fishes. The sea bass are represented by two species ; 
the sheepshead by one; the fresh water sculpins by one, and 
the cod-fish family by but one, the burbot. There are three of the 
salmon family within our limits, all from the lake; ‘one ‘‘blmd”’ fish, 
one trout perch, four toothed minnows, three species of pike, and 
one each of the mud minnows, eels, sticklebacks, silversides, pirate 
perckes and elassomes. The lampreys are represented by two spe- 
cies, the shovel-fish by one, the sturgeons by two and the gars by 
three. We have also the one dog-fish, two moon-eyes, one repre- 
sentative of the shad family, and the hickory shad. 
DISTRIBUTION OF SPECIES. 
A few brief notes respecting the peculiarities of distribution in 
Illinois will not be without interest. The extraordinary length of 
this State, from north to south, extending through nearly six 
degrees of latitude, the southern extremity lying in the southern 
(Austroriparian) zoological region, and the northeastern corner cover- 
ing a portion of the Great Lake area, gives us an unusual number 
of species whose range does not extend throughout our territory; 
some being strictly southern, others as strictly northern, and still 
others extending their range from the north southward, or from the 
south northward, without actually reaching the opposite extremity 
of the State. For the purpose of presenting these facts of distribu- 
tion in a compact and summary manner, I append lists of species 
peculiar to the different parts of Illinois, so far as our present 
knowledge extends, it being taken for granted, of course, that my 
references to distribution relate only to Llinois. 
The first list includes those species which are found. in the north- 
ern part of the State, and do not occur to the southward, meaning 
thereby those found in Illinois north of the Illinois River on the 
parallel of Ottawa and La Salle. 
- The second list includes those northern species which extend more 
or less to the southward, but do not reach the: hilly region of 
Southern Illinois beyond the Big Muddy River, or the valley of the 
Wabash south of Vincennes. 
The third list includes the Southern Illinois species, which extend 
northward beyond the limits of the region just mentioned, but do » 
at pass the Illinois River to the north beyond la Salle and 
Ottawa. 
