142 FISHES—INTRODUCTION. 
knowledge of Western fishes was much less than his own. A good re- 
sult of this conservatism is, however, seen in the fact that, while out 
of the 111 species described in the Ichthyologia Ohiensis, upwards of 
43 are either spurious or redundant; in the ‘‘ Fishes of Lake Erie and 
the Ohio River,” out of 66 species none are spurious, and only three 
Semotilus dorsalis, Platirostra endentula, and Ammocctes concolor, are redun- 
dant. Of these, the first was correctly suspected by Dr. Kirtland to be 
indentical with his Semotilus cephalus. The second he had not seen, but 
had followed LeSueur, who was one of the best ichthyologists of his day, 
in considering it as a distinct species, instead of what it really was, an 
old individual of Polyodon folium. As regards the Ammocctes, the discov- 
ery that these eyeless forms were simply larval Lampreys is a very 
recent one, made, if | am not mistaken, by Professor Huxley. 
Later, in the Cleveland “ Annals of Science” and “ Family Visitor,” 
the plates of his Fishes of Ohio were reproduced, and some new species 
described and figured. As I have not these papers at hand I forbear 
further remark on them. ‘ 
Dr. Kirtland once told the writer that he abandoned the idea of con- 
tinuing his ichthyological writings with the flood of new genera poured 
out by Agassiz, Girard, and others, which swept away his landmarks, 
and which in many cases he was unable to identify or understand, and 
he said that if he could have his way, he would have us “all turned 
back to the Linnean classification.” It will be noticed that while 
Rafinesque “ discovered’ upwards of 70 new genera and sub-genera in 
America, Dr. Kirtland declined to establish even one. 
Since the time of Dr. Kirtland the only paper of importance especially 
relating directly to the Fishes of Ohio is the “ First Annual Report of the 
Ohio State Fish Commission, to the Governor of the State of Ohio, for the 
years 1875 and 1876,” and the “Second Annual Report” of the same for 
the year 1877. 3 
The part pertaining to the habits and value of the fishes was written 
by the late Mr. John H..Klippart, a close observer and excellent 
amateur ichthyologist. The descriptions of genera and species in the 
first report were arranged by Mr. Chas. H. Gilbert, and the second by Dr. 
Hrnest Copeland from manuscript of the present writer. 
These papers contain a catalogue of 185 speeies supposed to occur in 
Indiana and therefore in Ohio. This list, except in some minor matters 
of nomenclature, and in the inclusion of some Illinois species, is sub- 
stantially that which forms the basisof the present report. The accounts 
of the food fishes, contained in Mr. Klippart’s paper, are readable and 
valuable. | 
