Fishes of the River Ohio

Ichthyologia Ohiensis is a foundational work of American ichthyology but also contains one of the greatest “scientific pranks” of the 19^th century. Rafinesque visited the home of John James Audubon, where he destroyed one of Audubon’s prized violins, using it to knock a bat from the air. As revenge, Audubon provided Rafinesque descriptions of several outlandish (and fake!) fishes that the credulous naturalist published in this work, including the “bulletproof” Diamond Jack Devil Fish.