THE GARFISH FAMILY. 403 



the abdomen, a great part of it, measuring more than half the 

 depth of the body, is persistent. The tail-fin alone contains 

 distinct rays. True rays now form in the anal, anterior part 

 of the dorsal, and upper part of the pectorals. No trace of 

 ventrals appears, though their site is indicated by blackish 

 green pigment. When 25'5 mm. long these fins are visible 

 as minute lobes. Williamson's second series of specimens 

 from Naples ranged between 20 and 27 mm. on the 3rd 

 September, and all had the larval marginal fin with embryonic 

 rays stretching from a little behind the pectoral fins to the 

 vent. The other fins had true rays. The least of them, viz. 

 20mm., showed the ventral fin as an undifferentiated bud 

 on each side. The lower jaw projected in this example nearly 

 the length of the head, while the upper was shorter than in a 

 sand-eel of the same length. The body throughout was speckled 

 with dark brownish pigment (in spirit), but it only invaded the 

 caudal fin. A silvery sheen appeared on the abdomen, the 

 sides of the body and head. At 27 mm. the chromatophores 

 had mostly disappeared from the ventral surface of the abdomen, 

 and the sides were more silvery, a lateral band appearing in 

 some along each. Williamson found a young copepod para- 

 sitic on the gills of these forms clinging with its claws 

 to the throat ventrally. At 53 mm. (Scand. Fishes) the ab- 

 dominal marginal fin is still present, but the pigment-spots on 

 the abdomen and sides inferiorly have to some extent given 

 place to the silvery sheen. The ventral fins are only about half- 

 a-millimetre long. 



SKIPPER OR SAURY PIKE. (Scombresox saurus, Walb.) 



The eggs of this species are stated by Day to have external 

 filaments as in the previous form, though it would appear, he 

 says, that the young of the skipper wander further seawards. 

 Lutken has figured the heads of various stages, showing that 

 the disproportion in the length of the jaws is less than in the 

 garfish. 



The only young example procured in St Andrews Bay 

 measured 13^ inches during October. It was probably in its 

 second year. 



262 



