226 NEW OR RARE FISHES, 



when in water. They became opaque, however, on being placed 

 into weak spirits. 



Owing to the still uncertain nature of these remarkable forms, 

 I have not attempted any critical examination of them ; 1 may 

 merely mention that in neither specimen is there trace of pectoral 

 fins. In the one from Maroubra the height is contained about 18 

 times in the length and the tail is not produced. In the other 

 one the height is contained 14 times in the length and the tail is 

 tapering and pointed. 



The following extract from the "Study of Fishes" will be read 

 with interest by those who have not access to Dr. Giinther's work. 



" Taking into account all the various facts mentioned, we must 

 come to the conclusion that the Leptocephalids are the offspring 

 of various kinds of marine fishes, representing, not a normal stage 

 of development (larvse), but an arrest of development at a very 

 early period of their life ; they continue to grow to a certain size 

 without corresponding development of their internal organs, and 

 perish without having attained the characters of the perfect 

 animal. The cause by which this abnormal condition is brought 

 about is not known ; but it is quite within the limits of probability 

 that fishes usually spawning in the vicinity of land sometimes 

 spawn in the open ocean, or that floating spawn is carried by 

 currents to a great distance from land ; and that such embryos, 

 which for their normal growth require the conditions aflbrded by 

 the vicinity of the shore, if hatched in mid-ocean, grow into 

 undeveloped hydropic creatures, such as the Leptocephales seem 

 to be" (p. 181). 



Postscript. — Since the paper was read I have, through the kind- 

 ness of Prof. David, had the opportunity of examining three 

 specimens of Solenognathus preserved in the Macleay Museum at 

 the Sydney University. These diflPer somewhat from S. spinosis- 

 simus and are without doubt referable to S. fasciatus. Giinther 

 writes of it* : — " This species is most closely allied to Solenognathus 



* Challenger Shore Fishes, p. 30. 



