140 



with indefinite outline, the others being smaller globules of the 

 normal appearance. The former seem to be oil globules with 

 dark pigment cells, as they could be dissolved, leaving branching 

 pigment cells. The substance of other globules entirely dis- 

 appeared in dissolving. The larger globule generally occupied 

 a posterior or ventral position in the yolk. 



The larva (Plate \TI, fig. 44) at the time of hatching is short 

 and stumpy, being about i\ milhmetres from snout to tail and 

 about one-half this in greatest depth. The posterior border of 

 the yolk is near the middle of the total length. 



(c) Species with Many Oil Globules. 



Syng-nathus acus, Linn. 



A male of this fish was found in False Bay on the "th August. 



In the pouch were rows of eggs of a }'ellovvish red colour. 

 They measured about \'2^ mm. in diameter, and contained ma'Y 

 small oil globules, var}'ing considerably in size. 



SPECIES XVII. 



A single Qgg (Plate VIII, fig. 45) was procured on 24th ISlovem- 

 ber, in False Bay, in a surface tow-netting, and measured I'S/ 

 mm. in diameter. It contained many small oil globules, which 

 occurred in groups and singly throughout its substance. On 

 the following day the embryo was a little less than half the 

 circumference of the &gg and showed very characteristic pig- 

 m.ent, quite visible to the naked eye as an orange red patch on 

 the lower side of the floating ^^^. This was seen under the 

 microscope to be a mass of pigment cells, dark red by trans- 

 mitted light and light orange by reflected light. The whole 

 embryo was covered by this pigment, which extended on to the 

 yolk, gradually becoming fainter till only some scattered branch- 

 ing cells appeared on the surface of the yolk furthest from the 

 embrvo. These were of a dark and fainter colour. 



Hatching took place on the 27th November. 



In the larva the rectum is anterior and the notochord appeared 

 to be multicolumnar. though this could not be made out with 

 certainty owing to the presence of the colouring matter. 



