1898.] BREEDING OF THE DRAGONET. 309 



in full colour. The preoperoular spines were removed from some, 

 left intact in others, but the turbot swallowed all alike, the same 

 iish taking several in rapid succession. The Dragouets being dead, 

 the yellow pigment was in a highly soluble condition, and its 

 properties ot smell and taste must have been perceptible. Turbot 

 hunt chiefly by eye, and those in the tanks will often take 

 swimming crabs, but soon reject them. I have also seen them 

 take " hard-heads " {Agomis cataphractus) and immediately spit 

 them out again. In both cases I imagine that the armour of the 

 intended prey was found to be compensated by no delicacy of 

 taste. The Dragonets were often held in the mouth for some 

 time until shifted into a position convenient for swallo\idng. I 

 have never seen one even temporarily rejected. 



As described above (p. 295), a living male Dragonet was 

 taken by a turbot. Its subsequent proceedings appear worthy 

 of record. The Dragonet, though successfully engulfed, appeared 

 to be struggling and had almost certainly erected its preopercular 

 tridents. The turbot seemed in great difficulties, making violent 

 movements with its jaws and apparently unable to close its 

 gill-apparatus, through which the dorsal filament of its victim 

 occasionally protruded. Its efEorts, however, appeared to be 

 directed to swallowing, and were quite different to those which 

 occur when the fish is trying to get rid of a swimming crab. 

 After some time the turbot retired to a dim corner of the tank, 

 and remained for several minutes quiet, but with gill-cover slightly 

 distended. It then returned to the front of the tank, apparently 

 all right, I tempted it with several dead Callionymi. it took 

 no notice of the first five of these, which were taken by other 

 turbot. As the sixth neared the bottom our friend made an 

 advance towards it, but did not take it, and it lay on the bottom a 

 little way off. The wave of a passing tish stirred it a little, and 

 another slight advance was made, but without further result. 

 Then commenced a series of violent convulsive twitchings of the 

 abdomen, affecting the part lying behind a line from the anus to 

 the extremity of the pectoral fin. They may have been caused by 

 irritation from the spines of the victim, or may, more probably, be 

 explained as an effort to pack it in a more convenient position. 

 The twitchings lasted perhaps a minute or two. Then the fish 

 circled round the end of the tank and returned to the same spot. 

 A few more twitchings and matters seemed to be satisfactorily 

 settled. 



The turbot again made a circular tour, and, returning, appeared 

 to perceive the dead Callionymus, now lying in a natural position, 

 and swam at it as if about to take it, but stopped short and took 

 the ground within an inch. Then commenced a rapid downward 

 flipping of the fore part of the dorsal fin. The nostril underlies 

 this region, and it was evident that the turbot was smelling at the 

 Callionymus. The result was, apparently, not immediately 

 inviting, but soon afterwards, having once more swum round the 

 clear part of the tank, the turbot, in the act of settling, did finally 



