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



far advanced in development when taken, it had probably drifted 

 a considerable distance from the spawning grounds of the species and 

 evidently out of the usual currents. 



Motella. — The Eocklings. 



I have had very many eggs which are certainly referable to species 

 of this genus, but they have shown no distinguishable specific characters 

 unless differences in the colour of the oil globules can be considered as 

 such. 



From the commencement of the work in February I found eggs with 

 a colourless oil globule common in the tow-nets, and they continued to 

 occur in numbers all through March and the first half of April, after 

 which they gradually became scarcer, until at the end of the month 

 they only appeared now and again. 



On March 15th I first obtained a Motella egg with a greenish -yellow 

 globule : and eggs with this character gradually became commoner 

 as those with the colourless one began to diminish, until they took 

 their place as the commonest egg in the tow-nets. These latter eggs 

 were still quite common at the end of April, the point at which 

 the present record ceases. 



Only three times did I find eggs with a copper-coloured oil globule. 

 On March 3rd they first appeared in numbers, this date happening 

 to be one on which the egg with a colourless globule was also 

 particularly abundant. I obtained on that date something over one 

 hundred Motella eggs, those with the coloured globule being about 

 equal in number with those having the colourless one. 



Though the latter eggs were in all stages of development, none 

 of those with the coloured globule had begun to segment. Of these 

 latter eggs the majority had several small oil globules, many having 

 five, and some even nine. 



I reserved a batch of each variety of egg for hatching, placing them 

 in similar vessels containing sea-water. As development proceeded the 

 coloured globules in the one batch gradually became paler, until at the 

 end of three days the colour could, in most cases, only be described 

 as a smoky white. The globules had also generally reduced in number 

 in each egg, one being present in the majority. None of this batch 

 of eggs hatched, although nearly all the batch with colourless globules, 

 about fifteen in nfmiber, hatched normally. 



On March 11th I again obtained among eggs with the colourless 

 globule a few with the coloured one, and I again endeavoured to hatch 

 them. The colour of the oil globule gradually disappeared as before, 

 but after developing to about the end of Stage II. the eggs again 

 all died. 



