LEPIDOSIREN. 



577 



These capsules, with the surrounding earth, have often been transported 

 from Africa to Northern Europe, without injury to the dormant fish 

 within. The fish makes a nest which is guarded by the male. The 

 larvae have four pairs of external gills, and a crescentic sucker like that 

 of an Amphibian tadpole. 



FIG. 311. Larva ol Leptaostren. After Graham Kerr. 



Lepidosiren. This mud-fish from the Amazons has an 

 eel-shaped body, with a continuous vertical fin. The limbs 

 are reduced to the axis only. There is a well-developed 

 septum in the auricle, an all but complete septum in the 

 ventricle, and a complete septum in the conus. The lung 

 is double. The eggs are laid in burrows, and the male 

 remains curled up beside them. The young are hatched 

 with external gills, 



