NO. 1782. STRUCTURE AND HABITS OF WOLFFISHES—GILL. 177 



The ovaries present some noteworthy characteristics which were 

 long ago noticed by W. C. M'Intosh (1885) and contrasted with those 

 of the so-called '^ viviparous Blenny" or Zoarcid. ''In shape these 

 considerably differ, since they are separate anteriorly and connate 

 posteriorly, as usual in many fishes. Their walls are also much more 

 massive. There is considerable similarity, however, in the arrange- 

 ment and connexion of the ova with the ovarian wall, to which 

 they are fixed like large flattened bunches of grapes." "In a 

 female procured during the trawling experiments at the end of 

 August [29th, 1884], the majority of the ova were about 4 millim. 

 in diameter, each being attached by fine thread-like bands of tissue. 

 The membranous parts of the folds to vdiich the ova were attached 

 show, in addition, numerous microscopic ova. The vascularity of 

 this tissue is slight, and in striking contrast with the villous processes 

 in the ovary of the viviparous Blenny, The ovaries of a specimen 

 obtained in Febru ary were unusu ally coarse internally from the presence 

 of numerous large ova (5 millim. in diameter) amongst the smaller. 

 Some of the large ova were quite free and apparently ready for extru- 

 sion, while others were fixed to the membranous pedicles and folds, 

 which presented many branching blood vessels, as well as more minute 

 ova. The latter seem to be developed everywhere in the stroma" or 

 indifferent tissue "of the ovary and its villous processes. From the 

 variable size of the ova in this instance, the spawning period probably 

 extended over a considerable time. The ova are, further, evidently 

 deposited in the bottom." "In other examples the nearly uniform 

 size of the majority would show that many are deposited simulta- 

 neously." In the ovaries of a fish examined "on 28th May," 1890, 

 T. Wemyss Fulton (1891) also found "the great mass consisting of 

 ova of nearly uniform size (2.1 to 2.5 mm.). Along with these there 

 were a large number of ova much more minute (0.8 to 0.9 mm.) scat- 

 tered in the interstices." Further, Fulton found "a large, fully 

 matured ovum (the only one present), much more pellucid than the 

 others (6.1 mm. in diameter), and weighing exactly 1.5 grains." He 

 "considered it a good example of what occurs in the development of 

 the eggs in many fishes — a more or less gradual growth up to a certain 

 point, and then a sudden expansion. The medium-sized ova had 

 apparently begun to undergo this process preparatory to extrusion. 

 There were a few (but very few) intermediate in size between the latter 

 and the more minute ova, which no doubt served for a second crop. 

 Sixty grains were weighed and counted; they contained 431 large 

 ova and 321 of the very minvite ones; so that the total number pres- 

 ent in the ovaries would be— large, 14,388; small, 10,682=25,070." 

 The number of eggs thus estimated may be much greater, the number 

 depending on the size of the fish. A large female, according to 

 M'Intosh and Masterman, "may produce as many as 40,000 eggs." 

 Proc.N.M.vol.39— 10 14 



