252 



The last stage figured here, 16 m.M. in leugth, captured in 

 sept. '04 on the Brown Ridges at a depth of 10 metres, shows 

 allready all the characters of the adult animal. The mouth has 

 the peculiar upward turn, the spines on the operculum and on 

 the preopercular ridge are strongly developed, but stand not away 

 from the body as they do in the larvae of trachinus vipera. The 

 iris shows a blue coloration, on the head, at the base of the 

 pectoral fin and on the abdomen a faint rosa-yellowish coloration 

 is visible, with scattered dark brown pigment cells. The first dorsal 

 fin, entirely developed, shows two or three pigmeutcells betweeu 

 the finrays, the pectoral fins are colourless, the veutral fins, now 

 much reduced in size in relation to the body, are still coloured 

 rather darkly. The row of black pigment cells aloug the ventral 

 side of the tail is still visible. At the base of the caudal fin there 

 are some small black spots. 



The pectoral fins in this specimen had 15 finrays, the first 

 dorsal five, the second dorsal 30, the anal fin 31, the caudal 

 fin 15. The diagnosis is therefore sure. 



This specimen was the largest we caught. It shows the trans- 

 formation of the postlarval form into the adult animal, and pos- 

 sesses nearly all the characters of the adult form. 



To make the series complete, we may conclude with Couch's ^) 

 description of a young trachinus draco: ,,a young example, mea- 

 suring only ^/^ of an inch (18,75 m.M.) in length, taken in a 

 drift-net in the month of August, was of interest as display ing 

 the order and degree of development of its parts at that early 

 stage of its existence. The long and sharp spine on the hindward 

 part of the neck had not yet come through the skin, but as 

 the skin became dry the ridge formed by it could be seen. The 

 bony structure before the eye was visible, but not prominent. 

 The colour had begun on the anterior portion of the body only, 

 and a large part of the sides, belly, aud tail remained transparent. 

 The top of the head and neck possessed colour, with dots of fine 



1) J. Coucii. A Histoiy of the Fishes of the British Islands, Vol. II, page 46. 

 London 1877. 



