IN THE SOUTH-WESTERN DISTRICT. 119 



I do not imagine that there is any doubt as to the identity of these 

 forms. The characters of the ova correspond to those observed in the 

 ovarian egg of the scad, and that fish is common both at jMarseilles 

 and at Plymouth. Its ally, Capros aper, is known to possess quite 

 a different egg. The egg of the John dory, Zeus faber, is certainly 

 unknown. It is perhaps permissible to suppose that it will be found to 

 resemble that of Capros rather than the form now under discussion. 



An advanced larva taken at the surface of Plymouth Sound on the 

 6th August, 1897, is undoubtedly a scad, as is sufficiently indicated by 

 the fin-ray formula, though the spines of the dorsal are as yet short, 

 and those of the anal are not separated by a notch from the succeeding 

 soft rays. The conformation is of interest. 



The head is very large, its length contained about 21- times in the 

 total length without the caudal fin. The height of the body is a little 

 less than the length of the head. Both head and trunk are laterally 

 compressed, and the general contour bears a resemblance to that of the 

 adult Capros. The total length is 11 "5 mm. The colour is olive-green, 

 clouded almost uniformly with large black stellate chromatophores, but 

 the median fins and the caudal peduncle are unpigmented. 



The next stages known to me are represented by a number of 

 examples taken by Mr. F. W, Gamble in August, 1896, from under the 

 umbrella of a large PJiizostoma in the Irish Sea. There are seventy- 

 nine little scad altogether, ranging in size, as preserved, from 16 to 

 about 45 mm. The smallest have lost the somewhat abruptly elevated 

 contour of the specimen of 11"5 mm., and the whole series are 

 fusiform in shape, the elevation of the body being naturally greatest in 

 the smaller examples. Of the British Carangoids they may be most 

 readily compared to Lichia. At a length of 31 mm. the transverse 

 keels of the lateral line scales are present on the posterior part of that 

 structure. At 44 mm. the line is keeled throughout its length, but the 

 scales do not appear to acquire the full development of the adult 

 condition until the fish is about 54 mm. in length. Shoals of little 

 scad from about 50 mm. upwards appeared in the estuaries of the 

 Taraar and Plym during the autumn, so that, with the forms already 

 referred to, we have most of the stages in the life-history of the 

 species. Cephalic spines are not represented in any stage which I have 

 examined. 



An important gap is left between the vitelligerous larva and the 

 specimen of 11 '5 mm. At the latter size we may say that the scad is 

 Capros-like in conformation, passing thence into an intermediate Lichia 

 stage, from which the true Caranx conformation is finally evolved. So 

 far as fishery matters are concerned the scad is important only as a 

 nuisance, but the metamorphosis which we have been able to follow 



