38 Mr. E. W. L. Holt on the Ova o/Gobius. 



shaped, the embryonic dorsal fin commences opposite the 

 pectoral girdle. Embryonic fin-rays occur in the slightly 

 spathulate embryonic candal fin. There is a considerable 

 preanal fin. The notochord is unicolumnar, and the hyoidean 

 and mandibular apparatus well developed. The eye is 

 greenish yellow. Black stellate chromatophores occur below 

 the anterior end of the notochord, extending back as far as 

 the air-bladder. Yellow pigment occurs amongst them. 

 The air-bladder is greenish, with black dendritic pigment 

 scattered over it. Above the anus and halfway between that 

 point and the air-bladder occur two large masses of gamboge- 

 yellow pigment (reddish brown by transmitted light), over 

 each of which extends a large black dendritic chromatophore. 

 Small black chromatophores extend along the ventral edge of 

 the anterior two thirds of the abdomen and along the ventral 

 edge of the postanal region to a point a little short of the 

 caudal extremity. Halfway between the anus and the caudal 

 extremity is another large yellow patch, overlaid by den- 

 dritic black pigment on the ventral region, and a similar but 

 smaller dorsal patch lies just above it. No pigment occurs 

 on the embryonic fins. The yolk is considerably reduced. 

 It is darkish and appears to consist almost entirely of small 

 oil-globules. 



It is to be regretted that the information given by British 

 authors as to the breeding of the Gobies is rather vague. 

 Day (' British Fishes ') gives June as the breeding time of 

 G. mger and O. minutuSj and May or June as that of G. 

 jyoganellus. He also mentions, on the authority of a corre- 

 spondent, that G. Ruthensjmrri attaches its eggs to the inside 

 of an empty valve of j\Iya arenaria, but does not describe the 

 Q.g2, or the method of attachment. 



From the same authority it appears that the late Mr. Roberts, 

 of the Scarborough Museum, had frequently bred this species 

 in confinement. 



Parnell (^ Fishes of the Forth ') mentions that G. niger and 

 G. grocilis [ParnelU) spawn in June. 



Couch ('British Fishes,' ii. p. 154) found a black Goby with 

 enlarged loe in February, and very young ones which appeared 

 to belong to the same species in the autumn. Beyond this I 

 can find no information. 



Note. — Since making the foregoing remarks two females of 

 Gohivs minutus were brought to the Laboratory from the 

 estuary of the Eden *, the contents of whose ovaries leave no 

 doubt but that this is the parent species. 

 * May 27, 1890. 



