48 Prof. M'lntosh's Notes from the 



dorsal patch now touched the body-line, and it also presented 

 a few black chroraatophores. The same brownish hue tinted 

 the marginal ridge over the head and snout. The black 

 pigment rendered both dorsal and ventral surfaces dark when 

 viewed on edge, two long blackish bands occurring dorsally, 

 separated by the brownish area in the mid-dorsal line. The 

 skin was finely dotted with minute vesicles. The eyes had a 

 greenish iridescent lustre. The marginal fin continued as a 

 prominent border over the vertex to the tip of the snout ; this 

 fin was still proportionally broad, though the body had 

 lengthened to fully 3-46 millim. No fin-rays were yet 

 visible in the caudal expansion. Movements of the mandible 

 and of the hyoidean apparatus occurred occasionally. The 

 pectoral fins had considerably increased in size and were used 

 in balancing. The clavicular bar was also evident. The oil- 

 globule was seen with difficulty, but in diminished size ; it was, 

 with the remnant of the yolk, in some near the lower border 

 of the abdomen. A feature of moment in these larval turbot 

 was their hardihood, for after exposure on a slide in a few 

 drops of water for two hours they became active when trans- 

 ferred to their vessel. 



The yolk was entirely absorbed on the 3rd July, that is 

 about the seventh day. The marginal fin over the head had 

 increased in depth and the black and other pigments had 

 ramified outward in all directions at its inner border. The 

 caudal expansion showed faint embryonic rays. Blood- 

 vessels with pale blood were now observed, e. g. the sub- 

 intestinal, coursing upward in front of the rectum and passing 

 towards the liver, and the subnotochordal trunk (aorta), which 

 could be traced backward to the inferior line of pigment 

 behind the posterior brown bars. 



With the disappearance of the yolk the turbot may be 

 considered to have attained their early post-larval condition, 

 and they swim throughout the water by rapid strokes of the 

 tail and vibrations of the pectorals. In still water they often 

 remain suspended with the head downward ; but there can be 

 little doubt that, like the plaice observed by Mr. H. Dannevig, 

 they would luxuriate with their heads directed to the 

 current in the fresh streams of water either in the open sea or 

 in the apparatus at Dunbar. The body of the little fish was 

 dull reddish (more or less ruby-red) by transmitted light, but 

 by reflected light it had a dull ochreous or pale brownish hue 

 and finely marked with black. The outer margins of the two 

 dorsal patches were paler, and the pigment immediately 

 behind the prominent posterior bars was also pale, these 

 lighter touches being very evident during the vigorous move- 



