Alt. VI] Herrick, Taste in Fishes. 53 



The only important respect in which my observations are 

 not in harmony with those of Bateson is in connection with the 

 part played by the sense of taste in some of these types of fishes. 

 I have studied the gustatory reactions of fishes closely allied to 

 the rockling, and having the same arrangement of terminal buds 

 on the barblets and pelvic fins, and am convinced that Bateson's 

 failure to get clear gustatory reactions from these organs was 

 due to the insufficiency of his methods of experiment, rather 

 than to the absence of the function. In general, it may bo 

 stated that the part played by the gustatory reflex in the case 

 of fishes having an extensive supply of terminal buds on the 

 outer skin is of vastly greater importance than Bateson appears 

 to have recognized. 



The only other paper of importance dealing with the sense 

 of taste in the fishes experimentally which has come to my no- 

 tice is the great monograph on the senses of taste and smell by 

 Nagel ('94). He investigated the sense of taste in the follow- 

 ing fishes: — (i) Fresh water types. 



Angiiilla angidlla (old and quite young). 



Cyp>iniis carpio. 



Barbiis fluviatilis. 



Leiiciscus cepJiahis. 



Gastet osteus aciileatus. 



Gobius flluviatilis. 



Siliirus glanis (young specimen). 



Cobitis fossilis. 



(2) Marine types. 



Pristiwnis. 



Scy Ilium catulus and S. canicula. 



Sy7ignat]ms acns. 



Ura no Scopus sea bet . 



LopJmis piscatorius. 



Nagel tested all the fresh water fishes mentioned in this 

 list by bringing bitter, sour, sweet and salty solutions in con- 

 tact with the skin, without getting any response to the stimulus. 

 Thus, the carp, wels {Silunis) and stickleback did not respond 



