57 



FAUNISTIC NOTES. 



By B. STORBOW. 



Eggs of the Gunnel {Pholis gunnellus, Linnaeus). — Whilst 

 searching amongst the rocks for eggs of shore fish on the 

 4th of March of this year, a chister of eggs, about the size of a 

 wahiut, with two gunnels in close proximity, was found under a 

 large piece of rock. The eggs and fish were in about an inch 

 and a half of water on a sloping ledge of rock, the seaward side 

 of which was from two to three inches above a pool some eighteen 

 inches deep. One gunnel was coiled round the eggs, and facing it 

 was the other about six inches away. 



As no attempt was made to escape on the covering rock being 

 removed some curiosity was aroused, and in order to see what would 

 happen the eggs were lifted and placed about three inches from 

 the tail of the fish which was coiled round them. This fish at once 

 moved its head and shortly observing the eggs moved towards 

 them and again coiled round them. The other fish did not move. 

 The first fish was then gently pushed from the eggs to the edge 

 of the rock until it was partly in the water. Although touched 

 several times the creature made no attempt to escape, and it had 

 to be pushed into the deeper water before anj^ effort was made 

 to swim away. Whilst this had been taking place, the other 

 gunnel had moved along towards the eggs, a distance of about 

 one foot, and coiled itself round them The eggs were then taken 

 out of the coil and moved about two feet from the tail of the fish, 

 which, after some slight movement of the head, found them again 

 and coiled round them. The mass of eggs was then placed in a 

 small bottle and some hatched out on the way to the Laboratory. 



Some of the young lived until the 27th of March, when there 

 was only a small quantity of the yolk and oil globule remaining. 

 There was a large chroma tophore on what remained of the yolk, 

 and about twentj-eight forming a line below the yolk and to the 

 anus. From the anus the chromatophores ran upwards and 



