The Rich Hill tribune. (Rich Hill, Mo.) 1903-1911, 1905-08-31
OUR FISH MISNAMED.
FrRsr coMERs TO AMERICA
KNEW BUT FEW NAMES.
Species Found IN Our Waters 0iven
the Applications Of Fishes
Native TO Foreign
Streams.

The fishes OF the United States are
oddly misnnmed, according TO DR.. Theo-
dore GIL. cooperative worker with the
bureau OF fisheries, reports the New
York sun Dr. 9th says,
The known fishes OF England are
few, and the early ~coionists knew few
astounded at the abundance OF the
fishes about their new home. To these
numerous fishes they transferred names
OF English species with which they
were more or less familiar. On account
OF the great number Of species common
70 the two countries, those who came
from old England 10 New England
we're no very far astray, but as they
or their successors wandered farther
and farther they made many mistakes.
A few examples will illustrate:
Among the most common of the
English fishes are the cod.perch. bass
and trout. The immigrants to Massa-
chusetts applied these names to fishes
Of the same genera as the originals, but
mostly OF different species. Perch has
been used in this country as a name
for very different sorts of fishes. In
England the name is specifically APP
piled to a w~eil-known water fish. The
immigrants to New England found a
fish almost undistinguishable from Il,
and gave II the same name. others
gave Il TO fishes having no real re-
semblance. The so-called white perch
81 the Atlantic coast, is in reality, a
: bass. The silver perch, the gray perch,
the white perch OF the Ohio river. the
red perch and the blue perch are all
misnamed.
Bass Is applied 10 many different
species-a score or more. In England
Il is the proper name OF a marine ash
common only along the southern coast.
A related species, though of a different
genus, was found by the new settlers Of
Massachusetts and New York, and
quite properly called bass OF striped
bass. There are, by the way. several
other species In this country entitled
TO the name. but which. oddly enough.
have been given the names Of other
hsh. as. for instance. the white perch.
All others are quite remote from the
rue bass-even the so-ealled black
basses.
Trout is another OF the English
names %variously mlsapplied. In the
old country it is given to a single she
cies generally distributed through the
island in clear. cold streams. The
Pilgrims found in similar streams In
Massachusetts, a fish somewhat like Il.
and called II by the same name. al.
though II lxaRk Walton had been
among them he might have told them
Il was not a trout, but a char. Others
found In Maine ~landlOcked salmon. and
In various large lAkos another good
sized saimonid. and applied TO them
also the name OF trout. Settlers In
the troutiess southern states, bound
70 give the name To some FISH. gave
Il To the kind generally known AZ
black bass Along the southern coast.
too, the name rout. or sea trout. was
given TO entirely different kinds Of
fishes. When the Americans reached
the California coast they found certain
fishes OF a peculiar family. not az all
like trout In shape or fms, but spotted.
and these they also called trout. sim
another fish. found In the ella river. a
slender. large mouthed cyprinid, was
called trout by early explorers. and
still bears the name.
Blu; this is not all. or the worst
! These odd names are not only widely
scattered: they accumulate. Cod and
trout are given 10 the same FISH along
the Pacific coast. Another fish Is
allied rock cod about Puget sound.
and rock trout aud sea trout Al San
francisco"