I N T ROD U C T ION .
T h e number of species of Fish described or noticed in the following P art of the
Zoology of the Beagle, amount to 137. It is right to observe that, judging from
Mr. Darwin’s manuscript notes, relating to wliat he obtained in this department,
this is probably not more than half the entire number which he collected.
Unfortunately a large portion of the valuable collection sent home by him arrived
in this country in too bad condition for examination, and was necessarily
rejected.
The localities visited by Mr. Darwin, and at every one of which more or fewer
species of fish were obtained, were the Cape Verde Islands,—the coast of
Brazil, including the mouth of the Plata, together with several inland rivers and
streams in that district,—the coasts of Patagonia, and the Santa Cruz river,—
Tierra del Fuego and the Falkland Islands,—the Archipelago of Chiloe,—the
coasts of Chile and Peru,—the Galapagos Archipelago,—Tahiti,—New Zealand,
King George’s Sound in Australia,—and, lastly, the Keeling Islands in the
Indian Ocean. The great bulk of the species, however, are from the coasts, east
and west, of South America.
The particular locality assigned to each species respectively in the following
work may be relied upon as correct; pains having been taken by Mr. Darwin to
affix a small ticket of tin, with a number stamped upon it, to each specimen, and
to enter a note immediately in the manuscript catalogue, having the same number
attached. In only three or four instances these tickets were found wanting,
on the arrival of the collection in this country.
A considerable portion of the species examined and described are new
to science, especially of those collected in South America, and the adjoining
Islands and Archipelagos. The new ones are supposed to amount to seventy-five
at least, constituting more than half the entire number ; and amongst these are
apparently seven new genera.