196 THE LEPADOGASTER FAMILY. 



the fibrillar secretion just mentioned run into the fringe of 

 fibres at the margin of the egg. In some views the marginal 

 fringe sprang from a series of large basal stems united with the 

 secretion at the margin of the egg. On the other hand, the 

 upper arch of the flattened egg has its capsule so transparent 

 that the ordinary punctures could not be satisfactorily made 

 out in the preserved specimens, though such were formerly 

 considered to be present. 



From the observations of Mr Anderson Smith 1 , who kept 

 the adults of L. Decandolii in confinement till they deposited 

 eggs, which they did all at once, it appears that they hatch on 

 the 28th day. The circulation was noticed on the 13th day. 

 Mr Holt correctly states that the embryos are always horizontal 

 in position ; indeed, the shape of the egg would render any 

 other position difficult. In this connection it has also to be 

 remembered that in the later stages the embryos make con- 

 siderable movements in the eggs. 



Mr Holt found different degrees of development in the 

 eggs he examined, and slight variations were also observed 

 in those above-mentioned. The majority, however, in a given 

 case, were nearly alike in this respect. The examination of the 

 ovaries of an example of Lepadogaster Decandolii captured in 

 the hollow tangles at Guernsey in July shows that the mature 

 eggs are accompanied by others of various sizes, the largest of 

 which are about half the size of the former. This species may 

 differ in some respects from the bimaculated sucker in regard 

 to spawning. Black pigment is well developed before hatching. 

 A careful description of the larva (Plate VIII, fig. 3), which, 

 on hatching, measures from 28 to 2'9 mm., is given by Mr Holt, 

 the only difference in those examined here but whether L. 

 bimaculatus or L. Decandolii is an open question since the 

 females of both species occurred inside this remarkable hatch- 

 ing-chamber being the presence of scattered black chromato- 

 phores over the dorsum of the head. The somewhat regular 

 rows of black specks along the sides of the body are character- 

 istic even at this early period. 



The young appear in the bottom-nets as post-larval forms 

 1 Proceed. Roy. PJnjs. Soc., ix., p. 143, pi. vii., 1886. 



