VOYAGE FROM NEW YORK TO RIO DE JANEIRO. 61 



least, now united as a distinct family under the name of 

 Ophidini, are known to be closely connected with the Cods, 

 and this character of the Hake in its early condition would 

 seem to show that this type of Eel is a sort of embryonic 

 form of the Cod family. 



" Another well-known family of fishes is that of the Lo- 

 phioides. To this group belongs the Lophius or Goose-fish, 

 with which the Cottoids or Sculpins, and the Blennioids, 

 with Zoarces and Anarrhichas, the so-called Sea-cat, ought to 

 be associated. It was my good fortune to have an opportu- 

 nity of studying the development of the Lophius, and to my 

 surprise I found that its embryonic phases included the 

 whole series here alluded to, thus presenting another of 

 those natural scales on which I hope all our scientific classi- 

 fications will be remodelled when we obtain a better knowl- 

 edge of embryology. The Lophius in its youngest stage re- 

 calls the Taenioids, being long and compressed ; next it re- 

 sembles the Blennioids, and growing stouter passes through 

 a stage like Cottus, before it assumes the depressed form of 

 Lophius. In the family of Cyprinodonts I have observed the 

 young of Fundulus. They are destitute of ventrals, thus 

 showing that the genus Orestias stands lowest in its family. 

 I would allude to one other fact of this kind observed by Pro- 

 fessor Wyman. There has been a doubt among naturalists 

 as to the relative standing of the Skates and Sharks. On 

 geological evidence I had placed the Skates highest, because 

 the Sharks precede them in time ; but this fact had not been 

 established on embryological evidence. Professor Wyman 

 has followed the embryology of the Skate through all its 

 phases, and has found that in its earlier condition it is slen- 

 der in outline, with the appearance of a diminutive shark, 

 and that only later it assumes the broad shield-like form and 



