152 



Several times I found eggs containing 10 or 12, in other cases 

 siinilar eggs containing from 15 to 25 oil-globules, and so for 

 tbis point too the accounts given by the different authors are for 

 the greater part represented here. 



Of the postlarval stages we captured with the surface tow-net 

 an altnost uninterrupted series of stages, beginuing with fishes 

 measuring only 5 mM. in length and going as far as 15 mM. 

 The young fisbes are recognisable at once by the peculiar character 

 of the broad conspicuous pelvic fins, which are still entirely covered 

 with black spots, and spread out almost in a horizontal plane. 

 The trunk and the dorsal part of the head is covered with black 

 and yellow pigment, and the tail being entirely devoid of pigment, 

 and almost transparent, it gives the young fishes a very striking 

 appearance. The first spines of the dorsal fins are already strongly 

 developed in specimens of about 7 mM. 



The eggs of Trachinus draco, occurring at the same time, viz., 

 the summer months, are of an entirely different type As was 

 stated by Raffaele for the ovarian egg, the eggs possess only a 

 single oil-globule, in many cases uncoloured, sometimes of a faint 

 yellowish hue. Occasionally however there may be present two 

 oil-globules, each somewhat smaller than the single oil-glubule 

 of the other eggs. As a rule however the yolk contains only one 

 oil-drop. 



As usual the oil-globule is imbedded in a thin sheet of periblast, 

 and often there is to be seen on one side of it the curious crescent- 

 shaped thickening of the periblast, that was described by Wilson 

 for the eggs of the sea bass and of the mackerel '). The size of 

 the oil-globule is about 0,2 mM. (from 0,2 to 0,23 mM.). It does 

 not diminish in size during early development as is the case with 

 the small oil-globules of Trachinus vipera. 



The eggs are on the average smaller than those of Trachinus 

 vipera. The egg-capsule bas a diameter of 0,96 to 1.11 mM. 



]) The erabryology of the Sea Bass (Serranus atrarius) Buil. of the U. S. Fish Com- 

 mitsion Vol. IX, for 1889. 



