600 REPORT ON THE EGGS AND LARV.E OF TELEOSTEAN FISHES 



Twenty-three larvoe, measured within thirty-six hours of hatching, 

 varied in length between r82 and 2"83 mm. 



I found most of these larvse of the type figured by Holt in his paper 

 in the Trans. Roy. DuU. Soc, iv. (1891), PI. LI., Fig. 41, but, at least in 

 most cases, black pigment was present in addition to the yellow, as he 

 has since recorded in this Journal (vol. v. (1897), p. 111). 



I also hatched five larvfe from these eggs, which seemed to me 

 to be of a different type from that referred to, but I am not prepared 

 at present to give a final opinion. 



The Topknots — Zeugopterus and Phrynorhombus. 



In his paper in the M. B. A. Journal, v. p. 129, Holt, after discussing 

 the facts then known as to the eggs and larvse of the three British 

 Topknots, concludes that his three Species x., xi. and xii., described 

 in the Trans. Boy. DuU. Soc, v. (1893), pp. 96, 99, and 101, had been 

 separated on insufficient grounds. 



I have had little material upon which to base conclusions, but such 

 as I have had seems to fall conveniently into two series depending 

 upon the size of the oil globule, as will be seen from the following 

 table : — 



Millimetres. -82 -85 -86 -87 '88 -ftO -91 -95 '97 



Thus there seems to be a clear separation between eggs having an oil 

 globule varying between 12 and 15 and others having an oil globule 

 varying between 175 and "21, though the sizes of the eggs themselves 

 give no clear line of demarcation. 



The larvffi hatched from the eggs with the oil globule varying 

 between 12 and 15 exactly resembled Species F of Mlntosh and 

 Prince (Traits. Boy. Soc. Edinh., xxxv., PI. XVII., Fig. 4) and Holt's 

 Species xii. {Trans. Boy. DuU. Soc, v. (1893), PI. VIIL, Figs. 67 and 68). 

 I did not, however, find any specimens which showed an imperforate 

 anus, as in Holt's figure. 



Of the larvffi hatched from the eggs showing the larger oil globule 

 (175 to '21) I can only find reference to three in my notes, though 

 many mure were hatched. Referring to these three, they certainly did 



