PREFATORY NOTE. 



The study of young fishes was one of the early zoological interests of Mr. 

 Agassiz, and he had published a number of papers ' previous to 1883 when the 

 late Prof. C. O. Whitman joined the staff of the Museum of Comparative Zoology. 

 During a part of the years 1883-1886, Professor Whitman worked upon the 

 development of some pelagic fishes both at the Newport Laboratory and at the 

 Museum, and some of the results of his studies were published in collaboration 

 with Mr. Agassiz in the Proceedings of the American Academy and in the 

 Memoirs of the Museum.' 



Though the eleven plates for another part of the Memoirs to be ' ' devoted 

 to cleavage, formation of periblast and the development of the germ ring" were 

 printed so long ago as October, 1885, the accompanying text was evidently not 

 written. 



The plates, however, seem of sufficient importance to warrant their publica- 

 tion, and this has been made possible through the kind interest of Prof. R. M. 

 Strong of the University of Mississippi, formerly of the University of Chicago. 

 Professor Strong carried out a thorough search among Professor Whitman's 

 manuscripts for any records upon the embryology of fishes, and has most-kindly 

 written a brief introduction. To Professor Strong and to Mrs-. C. O. Wliitman, 

 who most willingly aided him, sincere acknowledgements are tendered. 



Samuel Henshaw. 



' The development of flounders. <Amer. iml., December, 1876, 10, p. 705-708. — On the young stages 

 of some osseous fishes. <Proc Amer. acad. arts, ct sci., October, 1877, 13, p. 117-127, fig. 1-2, pi. 1-2. — 

 On the young stages of bony fishes. <Loc. cit., June, 1878, 14, p. 1-2.5, pi. 3-10. — The development of 

 Lepidosteus. <ioc. cit., October, 1878, 14, p. 65-76, pi. 1-5. — On the young stages of some osseous 

 fishes. Part III. <Loc. cit., July, 1882, 17, p. 271-303, pi. 1-20. 



2 On the development of some pelagic fish eggs. <P)'oc. Amer. acad. arts & sci., August, 1884, 20, p. 

 23-75, 1 pi. — The development of osseous fishes. I. The pelagic stages of young fishes. <Me»i. 

 M. C. Z., September, 1885, 14, p. 1-56, pi. 1-19. — II. The pre-embryonio stages of development. 

 Part first. The history of the egg from fertilization to cleavage. </Wrf., June, 1889, 14, p. 1-40, pi. 20-31. 



