THE FLOUNDER FAMILY. 34-o 



most distinct of these began at the inner margin of the inter- 

 spinous bones, and proceeded outwards into the fin-rays almost 

 to the tip. The black pigment on the head was irregularly 

 scattered, and the same may be said of that on the body, 

 though, in the case of the latter, the larger chromatophores 

 were observed to be densest in two longitudinal streaks 

 separated by a pale band which passed forward to the gill-cover 

 rather above the eye. The eyes are large and silvery, while 

 the great size of the head, the structure of the mouth and 

 the hyoidean region, are characteristic. The head is so large 

 that it is only about a fifth less than half the diameter of the 

 entire animal to the posterior border of the hypurals. Minute 

 spines occur along the opercular border and a portion of the 

 surface inferiorly, as well as above the eyes and elsewhere over 

 the snout. Such spines are characteristic of the somewhat later 

 stages of the turbot at the length of 14 mm., in which the 

 opisthure (terminal region of the notochord) is still very evident 

 at the upper border of the caudal, and also a slightly older 

 specimen figured in the " Marine Invertebrates and Fishes of 

 St Andrews" (Plate VI, figs. 5 and 6). Dr Petersen has ob- 

 served them in the young brill. At this stage the young fish is 

 provided with an air-bladder for its pelagic life. The larval tail 

 is still present superiorly as a distinct fin with its embryonic 

 rays, while the true rays of the caudal occur beneath. 



In the Danish waters in July Petersen has found young 

 brill of from 6 to 8 mm. without spines, and with a straight 

 notochord (Plate XIII, fig. 1]). The next older stage which 

 he shows has the notochord bent up and spines on the 

 operculum, while the median fins have true rays, but the 

 pectoral has only embryonic rays (Plate XIII, fig. 12). Those 

 off the east coast of Scotland are generally larger, and in 

 continuation of those just described. Thus on the llth July 

 an example 15 mm. long was captured in the bottom-net in 

 St Andrews Bay. The eye is somewhat further over than in 

 a turbot of the same length, but similar though smaller spines 

 occur on the pre- and sub-operculum, and along the mandible. 

 The head is, however, proportionally large. The dorsal fin has 

 seven touches of dark pigment, and the anal four distinct 



