THE VERTEBRAL COLUJIN OF FISHES. 177 



In the myxine, the vertebral cohimn is reduced 

 to a soft, flexible, cartilaginous tube, very in- 

 distinctly divided into separate pieces, and 

 filled with a gelatinous fluid. The spinal 

 cord appears in the form of two slender fila- 

 ments, which run parallel to each other in a 

 groove at the upper part of the tubular column, 

 and are protected only by a delicate membrane. 

 In the lancelet, the lowest in organization 

 among fishes, destitute of scales, and perfectly 

 transparent, the spine, its only internal sup- 

 port, is merely a slender, flexible, cartilaginous 

 stylet, running the Avhole length of the body ; 

 and from this cartilage numerous muscles 

 diverge. This curious and very rare fish is 

 scarcely an inch and a half in length. It has 

 been taken on tlie Cornish coast, but we believe 

 the only one now in England is that in the 

 possession of j\Ir. Yarrell. " This specimen," 

 says that naturalist, " the only one I ever saw, 

 and which is probably the only one that has 

 been taken for many years, was sent to me by 

 Mr. Couch, who found it himself on the shore 

 near Polperro. A portion of the tail of this 

 little fish was sticking out from underneath a 

 stone in a small pool left by the tide. IMr. 

 Couch perceiving it, took it up with some water 



