504 i NICHOLAS ZOGRAFB 1 . i 



very accurate description of the exterior view of the labyrin- 

 thine apparatus in several species of the Labyrinthitis his 

 description seems to be deficient in thorough acquaintance 

 with the other sides of the apparatus, i. e. relative to dorsal, 

 pectoral, front and back surfaces of the fish, the study of which 

 is very important, as we shall see later, for the purpose of 

 forming a just idea of the designation or purpose of that organ. 



I shall begin with the apparatus of Anabas. Cuvier de- 

 scribes it as a complex of numerous very thin bone lamellae 

 lying over one another, and joined in the middle by a piece 

 by which they are fastened to the branchial arches. The space 

 between these lamellae, according to Cuvier, is so small r .as 

 to enable them easily to detain water, 



If we take an exterior view of the labyrinthine apparatus 

 we can readily agree with what Cuvier has said about its con- 

 struction and purpose ; but, taking a profile view of the same 

 (fig. 3), we are prone to. suspect the truth of Cuvier' s explana- 

 tion. Indeed, the labyrinthine apparatus of Anabas does not 

 consist of numerous laminae, but only of three 1 thin wavy 

 lamellae, one over the other, which become the larger the nearer 

 they are to the point of fastening to the branchial arches; 

 besides that the distance between each lamellae is much wider 

 than it seems to be when seen from above. Measured with a 

 pair of compasses these distances or intervals were found to 

 vary from 1*5 mm. to 2*75 mm. in breadth. We leave the 

 reader to judge if an apparatus consisting of three lamellae, 

 of which the uppermost is 5 mm. long and 4 mm. broad, 

 the middle one from 7 to 8 mm. broad, and the undermost 

 11 mm. long and 9 mm. wide, can detain much water. There 

 are three spaces to detain water : one between the first and 

 second lamellae with a surface of about 15 square mm. and 

 about 1*5 deep ; another between the second and third lamella? 

 with a surface of about 60 square mm. and 2*5 mm. deep; a 

 third one between the hard lamella and the sides of the pouch 

 of the labyrinthical apparatus with a surface of about 80 

 square mm., and varying in depth according to wrinkles or 

 1 After ' Giinther's Manual of Ichthyology,' 3 — 5. 



