458 WM. E. KELLICOTT 



niing movements (it was probably blind) and both in swimming 

 and in resting it turned on either side instead of maintaining a 

 normal position. This fish hatched sometime during the twenty- 

 eight hours preceding the notice of its having hatched, and after 

 living in this condition for thirty hours longer, its heart seemed 

 somew^hat moie feeble, its fin motions became slower and it was 

 killed. 



That fish lacking so physiologically important a process as 

 the circulation may develop to the point of hatching is alone a 

 most remarkable fact. But that such an organism can actually 

 hatch from its egg-membrane and, in spite of the other abnor- 

 malities noted, remain alive and active for between thirty and 

 fifty-eight hours, can not fail to arouse many questions regarding 

 the general problem of embryonic adaptations. If a fish can 

 live for weeks, and then hatch and remain active for hours longer, 

 entirely lacking a whole physiological system commonly re- 

 garded as so essential, one may certainly be permitted to doubt 

 whether slight details in the arrangement of this or of other 

 parts, may have the functional importance often assumed. 



In connection with the observation of the irregular, only par- 

 tially cellular protoplasmic masses mentioned above, it is inter- 

 esting to notice that we have here an illustration of the fact 

 that the protoplasmic substance of a highly specialized form may 

 still be capable of existence as protoplasm, though not showing 

 any of the normal morphogenetic processes characteristic of the 

 living substance at that age; and may remain able for days and 

 weeks to carry on some of its vital processes. Yet in spite of the 

 fact that these protoplasmic masses were so widely aberrant in 

 form and appearance, exhibiting none of the usual morphologi- 

 cal characteristics of the protoplasmic portions of fish-eggs, nor 

 of a,ny other kind of vertebrate egg, save the primary differen- 

 tiation into nuclear and cytoplasmic materials, they were still 

 undoubtedly living. They remained free from bacterial infec- 

 tion, form and appearance slowly changed, coagulation did not 

 occur, in many instances for weeks. Moreover it is not true 

 that in all such cases death was the inevitable result, for when 

 this condition was not too long maintained, such irregular, 



