Oral Gestation in the Gaff-Topsail Catfish, Felichthys Felis. 41 



The foregoing observations and conclusions have been based on 

 normal fish in normal condition, but before leaving this subject it 

 is necessary to relate and account for certain abnormal cases coming 

 under my observation. These are not only interesting per se, but 

 offer a probable explanation for an error of nearly 100 years' standing. 



On July 25, 1907, I found in the stomach of an ovigerous male a 

 perfect egg and a fragment of another. Neither showed the faintest 

 trace of the action of the gastric juice. On July 15, 1908, a male was 

 taken and, after removal of the eggs from the mouth, autopsy showed 

 the presence in the stomach of a perfect egg plus several fragments, 

 none of which showed any trace of digestion. In 1909, dissection 

 revealed in the stomach of a male fish a whole perfect egg having an 

 embryo in the same stage of development as those taken from the 

 mouth. This egg was so sound and normal that I expected to see 

 the little fish wriggle on its yolk. Other than this the stomach con- 

 tained nothing but a whitish ropy mucus. The small intestine was very 

 much reduced in size, inconspicuous in appearance, and was empty 

 but for some yellowish-green watery material. The belly was lanky, 

 but there was no other evidence of wasting or emaciation. In 1910 

 another male was taken having 2 crushed eggs in his mouth and the 

 fragments of 3 or 4 more in his stomach. Here again there was not 

 the slightest evidence of digestion. 



To the writer three possible explanations of the above phenomena 

 offer themselves. (1) In the excitement engendered in the endeavor 

 to escape as the bunt of the seine comes in filled with floundering fish, 

 the male gaff-topsail may give off part of his eggs and swallow others. 

 (2) When the fisherman grasps the fish by the mouth to prevent the 

 loss of eggs, the fish may swallow some in its writhings. (3) Most of 

 the fish just described had been struck on the head with a fish club to 

 quiet them. If there were any eggs between the pharyngeals at this 

 time they would be crushed; further, the blow by reflex action might 

 cause the sphincter muscles of the oesophagus to relax, whereupon 

 both eggs and fragments might be swallowed. 



In none of these cases is there any evidence of the eggs having been 

 swallowed as food. Herein my observations and conclusions agree 

 with the only others on record in this matter. Wyrnan (1859) writes: 



"Besides some nearly mature foetuses [of jarra-bakka } contained in the 

 mouth, two or three were squeezed apparently from the stomach, but not 

 bearing any marks of violence or of the action of the gastric fluid. It is prob- 

 able that these found their way into that cavity after death, in consequence 

 of the relaxation of the sphincter which separates the cavities of the mouth 

 and stomach." 



There are now to be described, and if possible explained, three 

 extraordinary cases which do not come within the above category. 



