242 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



The floating gelatinous ribbands containing the ova of the frogfish (Lophius pis- 

 catorius) are less frequently encountered on the east coast than one would expect. It 

 is possible, however, that the constant destruction of the adults in the stake nets and 

 in trawls may account for the comparative rarity of the ova. Isolated eggs are occa- 

 sionally obtained in the tow nets, but the best examples of the developing ova were 

 procured from the salmon stake nets off the east rocks, and the larvae have been care- 

 fully figured and described by Prof. Prince. 



The demersal eggs of the spotted goby (Gobius minutus) have occasionally been 

 found on stones, and more frequently in the valves of Solen siliqua, Lutraria, and other 

 mollusks. They have been described by Mr. E. W. L. Holt, who has also carried on 

 able researches at the St. Andrews Laboratory. The young are very abundant. 



The small but beautifully reticulate pelagic ova of the dragonet (Gallionymus lyra) 

 are not uncommon in the tow nets all along the eastern and western shores. They 

 were first described in 1885, and have frequently been hatched in the tanks. The 

 larvae have been described both by Prof. E. E. Prince and Mr. Holt. The very young 

 stages are frequently observed in the bottom tow nets; indeed, all stages have been 

 thus procured. The abundance of black pigment on the ventral surface of the young 

 forms is one of the most striking features. 



The masses of the demersal ova of the lump-sucker (Gyclopterus lumpus) are very 

 abundant in spring off the rocky shores, and the remarkable devotion of the males in 

 guarding the eggs is not surpassed by any other form. Many so expose themselves 

 amongst the tidal rocks close to the eggs at low water that crows pierce their sides 

 and devour them alive after picking out their eyes. The eggs are easily hatched in the 

 tanks, and the larvae and young are very hardy. They likewise abound in the tidal 

 pools and in the inshore waters amongst floating seaweeds. Instead of being thrown 

 away as manure, the multitudes of adults might be utilized for making mock-turtle 

 soup. Their thick gelatinous skins are well adapted for this purpose. 



One of the earliest demersal eggs of the season is that of Montagu's sucker (Liparis 

 montagui) which occurs in clusters on Delesseria and other seaweeds and on zoophytes 

 all along the east coast. The larvae in the tanks are as lively as those of the lump- 

 sucker — shooting through the water like swarms of ephemerae in the air. 



The largest marine demersal egg hitherto met with in Great Britain is that of the 

 wolf-fish (Anarrhichas lupus) a huge mass of which was brought to the harbor by a local 

 trawler early in 1886, and subsequently hatched in the laboratory. The ova are only 

 a little less than those of the salmon — for which the local fishermen mistook them, 

 but they differ wholly from that species, not only in regard to the single large oil- 

 globule, but in the fact that the ova are fixed to each other in masses. The large 

 larva is one of the most interesting forms in the group. The skins of the adults should 

 be utilized for leather, as in the case of the Norwegian species. 



The eggs of the gunnel (Gentronotus gunellus) are often met with in spring as masses 

 in holes of the rocks near low-water mark, the female fish generally enveloping them 

 in a coil of the body, and the same feature is observed when the eggs are deposited in the 

 tanks. They are hardy, and the larvae and the young are also easily kept in con- 

 finement. 



The demersal ova of the 15-spined stickleback occur in nests formed of seaweeds 

 in the higher littoral parts, and they also are readily hatehed in confinement, as 

 detailed by Prof. E. E. Prince. 



