260 Notes from the Gatty Marine Lahoratory. 



present, but it is bent upward by the development of the true 

 rays inferiorly. The ventral fins appear as minute processes. 

 At 11 millim. many are still pelagic (17th May), and show 

 the three anterior gill-spines — the occipital, superciliary, and 

 nasal spines. The ventral fins are minute. The pigment 

 approaches that of the adult stage, only it is not so largely 

 developed. The larval tail is at the upper edge of the organ, 

 and the marginal fin is continuous and has only embryonic 



They still occur as pelagic fishes in the tow-nets at 14 to 

 18 millim. The head and body are now larger and more 

 deeply pigmented, the former being entirely covered, the 

 pigment continuous with the dorsal and passing downwards 

 to the cheeks and chin. A bold bar in many exists at the 

 base of the breast-fins, another across the region of the first 

 dorsal fin, and one at the second dorsal, the latter, moreover, 

 extending downward on each side to the ventral edge. The 

 pigment on the two latter bars in some is specially dense, 

 though in others the tint is more uniform dorsally. The head 

 is Cottoid in appearance, the superciliary ridge and the 

 occipital tubercles with their spines being conspicuous. Tliree 

 of the spines on the gill-cover are large, the fourth at the 

 inferior edge being small. The boldness in the demarcation 

 of the pigment gives the fishes a piebald aspect in s])irit. 

 The larval tail is represented in the smaller forms by the 

 upturned notochord. True rays now occur in all the fins. 

 The voracity of these young forms is remarkable. One of 

 16 millim., for instance, in captivity swallowed a young 

 flounder not much shorter than itself, just as the larger 

 examples cleared the young gunnels out of the tanks. 



At 22 millim. (27th May, estuary of the Eden) the bar of 

 pigment behind the vent has sent a process backward to the 

 tail, but it goes no further than the basal region. Symme- 

 trical white spots — one dorsal and two ventral — occur in this 

 prolongation. The occipital and supraorbital tubercles are 

 less prominent, but the sui)ranasal are distinct. A large 

 spine occurs on the gill-cover. The upper spine on the gill- 

 cover (preoperculum) is largest. The first dorsal fin lias 9 

 rays, the second 15, the variegated pectoral 16, ventral 3, 

 anal fin 13. The caudal has 12 long rays besides 4 or 5 

 shorter at each edge. The chief difl^erencc, therefore, between 

 this and the adult is the increase in the caudal, but the short 

 basal rays probably disappear during growth. 



In June thoy reach 23 lo 24 millim. and in July 38 millim., 

 ■with adult characters, the first dorsal having 9 rays, the 

 second 16 rays, and the anal still constant at 13. 



In September specimens 54, 65, and 85 millim. occur, the 



