EDIBLE FISHES OF QUEENSLAND.— OGILBY. 17 



yellow tint. They measure thirty seven to the linear inch (about -686 mm. each). 



"Two hours after fertilisation, at an average temperature of 65° F., the 

 eggs are perfectly transparent under the microscope, moving about in the jars 

 from the bottom to the surface ; when water was allowed to drip into the jars for 

 aeration the eggs circulated in ceaseless movement all over the jars from top to 

 bottom ; some, probably the unfertilised eggs, floated. 



' ' At two hours after fertilisation the eggs measured thirteen to the linear 

 inch (about 1-954 mm. each), and three hours after stripping, when absorptiou 

 of water was complete, they measured eight to the inch (3-175 mm., each). 



"The egg, after full absorption of water, becomes slightly ovate and is 

 perfectly transparent, resembling a tiny soap bubble with a glistening oil globule 

 at the top. 



"The eggs referred to above were stripped at 4-35 p.m. on 18th October, 

 1917. The first apparent development was visible at 10-15 a.m. on 19th October. 

 This appeared as a tiny foggy opaque spot at the bottom of the egg. 



"At 6 p.m. on the 19th October, the foggy spots in the egg had increased 

 in size to nearly one eighth of its capacity, but had Assumed no definite shape. 

 At 8-50 the faint outline of the embryo was discernible. At this stage it is 

 colorless, semitransparent, and occupies the bottom of the egg. At 10-50 the 

 embryo, including the opaque foggy mass round which it was curved, had 

 increased in size to about one fourth of the capacity of the egg. 



' ' On the 20th October at 5 a.m. the embryo had further increased, and the 

 eye-spot was visible without magnification. At 12-10 p.m., under a magnification 

 of about fourteen diameters, movement of the embryo was plainly visible, and the 

 foggy mass above referred to had considerably decreased in size. At 10 p.m- 

 the embryo was clearly visible to the naked eye, apparently attached by the head 

 to the oil-globule, and its wriggling movements were distinctly seen without a 

 magnifying glas.s. At midnight the embryo was still suspended from the oil- 

 globule struggling vigorously in the egg. At 1 a.m. on the 21st fully 75 per cent, 

 of the eggs in the jars contained living struggling embryos. 



"At 3 a.m. on the same day a cyclonic wind-storm capsized the oil-stove 

 used to warm the tent v/here the jars were kept, which with its contents was 

 destroyed by fire in a few moments. Several jars of eggs were carried outside the 

 burning tent, but as the temperature fell rapidly all were lost. I think it 

 probable that the eggs would have hatched out at about 10 a,m. that morning. 



"Although I continued netting until the 16th November, and captured 

 many hundreds of Golden Perch, none in spawning condition were secured. The 

 season was exceptionally late, wet and cold, and I am of opinion that the general 

 spawning would not take place until December." 



Mr. Anderson supplies also the following note : — 



"In November, 1916, similar v\?ork was perfoinned in almost identical 



B 



