Art. VI.] Herrick, Tastc in Fislies. 83 



of the pectoral fins receive communis nerves, as they should do, 

 of course, if these organs had given evidence of gustatory pow- 

 ers. The only source of communis fibers for this fin would be 

 through the ramus lateralis accessorius (r. recurens facialis). Stan- 

 nius ('49, p. 49) did not find this nerve in Trigla giitnardus and T. 

 hinmdo. I dissected a specimen of Prionotiis carolinus and found 

 the same to be true here, so that it can be taken as assured that 

 no communis nerves reach the pectoral fin in this species. 



After an examination of the feeding habits of the adult sea 

 robin and of young specimens about 10 cm. long, I quite agree 

 ■with Morrill, that the reaction to food particles by the free fin 

 rays is tactile only, with no gustatory element. When adults 

 are fed with fresh clams or mussels, the shells split open to ex- 

 pose the meat, they turn and bite out the meat as soon as a 

 free ray touches the soft flesh. Young fishes did not give this 

 reaction so invariably, and evidently relied much more on sight. 

 Clean clam shells filled with melted gelatin were reacted to like 

 the fresh clams once or twice by each fish, but usually were 

 thereafter ignored. 



The free rays constantly stir up the sand and gravel of the 

 bottom. If soft edible particles are touched, the head may be 

 turned to snap them up, especially with old fishes ; with 

 younger ones this usually does not happen unless the particle 

 is seen while in motion. In fact, with these younger fishes the 

 purpose of the activity of the free ray sseems to be in the main 

 the agitation of particles on the bottom to bring them into the 

 range of vision. Almost any unfamiliar object, such as a bit 

 of coal or a brightly colored pebble or any soft article, if seen 

 while in motion, will be apt to be taken into the mouth. The 

 analysis is done here, not by the peripheral cutaneous organs. 

 AH small objects thrown into the water are taken into the 

 mouth as they fall; bits of filter paper, gelatin, etc., will be 

 taken and immediately rejected. The same bit of paper or ex- 

 crement may be taken and rejected a half dozen times in rapid 

 succession, the reflex following in a perfectly automatic way as 

 soon as the moving object is seen. Small worms when thrown 

 into the water would be captured before they had time to reach the 



