346 80 



The olfactory organ of Fisliilaria has heen described l)y BURNE (7, p. 633). In the accom- 

 panying figure LAC ('Macrymal scute") is the ])refronlal. N (supposed to be the nasal) part of 

 the etiinioid. 



Syngnathidæ. 



17 p. 303 [37]. DuNCKERs description U 3, p. 21— 22) of the two anterior body rings is 

 dilTerent from that given by me. As upper parts of D.'s foremost ring, his "Schulterring", 

 are regarded the superior lateral scutes (si in my lig. 2 on PI. Ill) which I refer to the second 

 ring, that behind the pectoral, to which they undoubtedly belong. As lateral parts of the 

 "shoulder-ring" 1). further counts two "plates" on each side, one in front of the pectoral fin, 

 the "Skapularschild", one behind, the "Axillarschild"; the first is the dermal part of the cla- 

 vicle -r the "coverjjlate" (PI. Ill, fig. 2 c, the "Axillarschild" is my median lateral plate 

 (PI. Ill, fig. 2 ml) of the second ring (the first ring of typical composition). Finally, as inferior 

 parts of the "Schulterring" are regarded two plates on each side, my "jugular i)late" (PI. Ill, 

 fig. 2 j), which he termes "Infrascapulare ', and my inferior lateral plate of the second ring 

 (fig. 2 il). Thus the ditlerence really consists in the facts: 1) that D. regards my first and 

 second rings as only one, the "Schulterring"; 2) that he has apparently not observed that the 

 clavicular dermal i)art and the "cover-plate" are two separate structures. 



18 p. 3(X; [40j. Regarding the structure of the vertebral column, which is examined 

 without great dil'ficulty, several features have earlier been noticed, and more or less correct 

 information will be found scattered through the literature. While the peculiar arrangement 

 of the interspinous bones for the dorsal fin has been very early noticed and later has been 

 mentioned by several authors, as also the imnmvablc connection between the shoulder-girdle 

 and the two anterior vertebræ, the fact that the three anterior vertebræ besides are immo- 

 bile, because their neural arches are suturally united, seems never to have been observed 

 before. 



Schneider in Petri Artedi Synonymia Pisciuni etc. 1789 (49) p. 338— 39 and Tab. II, 

 figs. 20—21 has given some primitive and rough, not quite correct, representations of trans- 

 verse sections of Stjiuj nathus lijphle (or acus) and (fig. 22) a small part of the skeleton at the 

 region of the dorsal fin, seen from the side. The latter figure is extremely incorrect but — 

 as far as I know — hitherto the only existing, representing the peculiar groups of the parts 

 supporting the fin-rays; they are here called: "Processus spinosi in radios 4—6 difl'usi". 

 Thus the fact that interspinous bones are condjincd with the spinous processes has escaped 

 attention. 



Meckel (35) p. 202 remarks that the vertebræ in Stjiiuiuilliiis are elongated, p. 203 that 

 articular processes are wanting or at least "höchst unmerklich"; p. 204 that the spinous pro- 

 cesses are split: "Ihre Schenkel bestehen aus fünf bis sechs zarten, dünnen Stäbchen, die 

 fast senkrecht in die Höhe steigen und sich an den meisten zu einem einfachen, mittlem, 

 langen, aber nie<lrigen Blatte vereinigen, das aber unter der Hückenflosse theils bedeutend 

 höher wird, theils sich von vorn nach hinten in drei, vier bis fünf in dieser Richtung aus 

 einander weichende Strahlen spaltet, welche die Flossenstrahlen tragen." Thus, M. has over- 

 looked the presence of interspinous bones ("Nebendornen ' Meckel). On p. 244 he adds that 

 ribs are wanting, a fact also mentioned by Cuvier and Valenciennes (10, p. 296). 



Kröyer (29, p. 685) describes the vertebral column in Siphoiiostoma typhle in tiic follow- 

 ing way: "The vertebral column consists of 55 vertebræ, proportionately large and strongly 

 built, esi)ecially the foremost, lying over the abdominal cavity; these are moreover for the 

 greater part provided with strongly develoi)ed transverse processes. On the other hand the 

 abdominal vertebra- almost completely want spinous processes; the latter, however, are found 

 on the nine or ten anterior caudal vertebræ, to which the dorsal fin is attached, and are 

 very conspicuous and of peculiar shape, each of them being split into three or four, with 

 the points free, projecting, rays; thus this part of the column being formed like a finely 



