es 



PROF. AGASSIS ON EXTRAORDINARY FISHES FROM CALIFORNIA. 



[1853 



very easy to obtain during the next spring and summer, specimens 

 ■in all stages of pregnancy^ I think, if 1 remain in the country, 

 I can insure you a sufficiency of specimens to determine to your 

 satisfaction, the true slate of the affair, during the course of the 

 next year. The fish I refer to, in my opinion, does not exist in 

 very great numbers even in the waters of San Salita Bay, for the 

 two which I caught on this occasion were the only ones which 

 I fell in with, though I fished in the same place probably four 

 times. There was a little peculiarity, perhaps, in the circum- 

 stance of my taking them as I did. I had previous to this time, 

 •tried my rod and line, as I mentioned before, four times, always 

 with success as regards groupers, perch, &c, without a sight of 

 the singular fish under consideration. A few days, perhaps a 

 week, after the four trials, and on the 7lh of June, I rose early in 

 the morning, for the purpose of taking -a mess of fish for breakfast, 

 pulled to the usual place, baited with crabs, and commenced fish- 

 ing, the wind blowing too strong for profitable angling; never- 

 theless, on the first and second casts, I fastened the two fishes, 

 male and female, that I write about, and such were their liveli- 

 ness and strength, that they endangered my slight trout rod. I 

 however succeeded in bagging both, though in half an hour's sub- 

 sequent work, 1 got not even a nibble from either this or any other 

 species of fish. I determined to change the bait, to put upon 

 my hook a portion of the fish already caught, and cut for that 

 purpose into the largest of the two fish caught. I intended to 

 take a piece from the thin part of the belly, when, what was my 

 surprise to see coming from the opening thus made, a small live 

 fish. This I at first supposed to be prey which, this fish had swal- 

 lowed, but on further opening the fish, I was vastly astonished to 

 find next to the back of the fish, and slightly attached to it, a 

 long very light violet bag, so clear and so transparent, that I could 

 already distinguish through it the shape, colour and formation of 

 a multitude of small fish (all fac-similies of each other) with 

 which it was well filled. I took it on board (we were occupying 

 a small vessel which we had purchased for surveying purposes,) 

 when I opened the bag, I took therefrom eighteen more of the 

 young fish, precisely like in size, shape, and color, the first I had 

 accidentally extracted. The mother was very large round her 

 centre, and of a very dark brown color, approaching about the 

 back and on the fins a black colour, and a remarkably vigourous 

 fish. The young which I took from her were in shape, save as to 

 rotundity, perfect miniatures of their mother, formed like her, and 

 of the same general proportions, except that the old one was 

 (probably owing to her pregnancy) much broader and wider 

 between the top of the dorsal and the ventral fins, in proportion 

 to her length than the young were. As to colour, they were in 

 all respects like the mother,"though the shades were many degrees 

 lighter. Indeed, they were in all respects like the mother and 

 like each other, the same peculiar mouth, the same position and 

 shape of the fins, and the same eyes and gills, and there cannot 

 remain in the mind of any one who sees the fish in the same state 

 that I did, a single doubt that these young were the offspring of 

 the fish from whose body I took them, and that this species of fish 

 gives birth to her young alive and perfectly formed, and adapted 

 to seeking its own livelihood in the water. The number of young 

 in the bag was nineteen, (I fear I mistated the number in my 

 former letter,) and every one as brisk and lively and as much at 

 home in a bucket of salt water, as if the) r had been for months 

 accustomed to the water. The male fish that was caught was 

 not quite as large as the female, either in leugth or circumference, 

 aud altogether a more slim fish. I think we may reasonably 

 expect to receive the specimens by the first of December. But I 

 can hardly hope to get satisfactory specimens of the fish as I 

 found it with young well grown, before the return of the same 

 season,viz., June. By that time I trust the facts will be fully decided, 

 and the results, as important as they may be, fully appreciated." 



In a subsequent letter (dated January 31, 1853,) Mr. Jackson 

 informed me that he had requested Captain Case, U. S. N., who 

 commanded a sloop of war in San Francisco, and who had also 

 seen the fish, to supply my friend T. G. Gary, Jr., Esq., of San 

 Francisco, with specimens of that fish, should he succeed in get- 

 ting any. I wrote myself also to Mr. Cary, to be on the look 

 out for this fish. 



About a fortnight ago, I was informed by Mr. Cary, in a letter 

 dated San Francisco, August 10, 1853, that a^r a search of 

 several months he had at last succeeded in obtaining several 

 specimens of this remarkable fish, three of which were sent by 

 express, (which have reached me lately), while a larger supply 

 was shipped round Cape Horn. After a careful examination of 

 the specimens, I have satisfied myself of the complete accuracy of 

 every statement contained in Mr. Jackson's letter of February, 

 1852, and I have since had the pleasure of ascertaining that there 

 are two very distinct species of this remarkable type of fishes, 

 among the specimens forwarded to me by Mr. Cary. 1 propose 

 for them the generic name of Embiotoca, in allusion to its very 

 peculiar mode of reproduction. 



I feel some hesitation in assigning a family name to this type. 

 It is probable that all its members will present the same pecu- 

 liarity in their mode of reproduction, and that therefore the name 

 Embiotoca may with perfect propriety be modified into Embio- 

 iocoidce, as Didelphis has given its name to a numerous family, 

 the Didelphyidic, after having been for a long time simply a 

 generic name. Should it however be found that other types of 

 this family present various modifications in their vivaporous re- 

 production, for which the name Embiotocoidce might be objec- 

 tionable, I would propose to frame some family name from 

 another structural peculiarity ef these fishes, not yet observed in 

 any others, the naked furrow-like sjjace parallel to the base ofthe 

 posterior dorsal fin, separating the scales which cover the base of 

 the rays, from those of the sides of the body and name it Holconoti. 



The perseverance and attention with which Messrs. Jackson 

 and Cary have for a considerable length of time been watching 

 every opportunity to obtain the necessary materials for a scientific 

 examination of these wonderful fishes, has induced me to com- 

 memorate the service they have thus rendered to zoology by in- 

 scribing with their names the two species now in my hands, and 

 which may be seen in my museum in Cambridge, labelled Emit. 

 Jaclcsoni and Emb. Caryi. 



A country which furnishes such novelties in our days, bids fair 

 to enrich science with many other unexpected facts, and what is 

 emphatically true of California, is in some measure equally true 

 of all our waters. This ought to stimulate to renew 7 ed exertions 

 not only our naturalists, but all the lovers of nature aud of science 

 in this country. 



FAMILY HOLCONOTI OR EMBIOTOCOIDCE. 



The general appearance of the fishes upon which this family is 

 founded, is that of our larger species of Pomotis, or rather that of 

 the broader types of Sparoids. Their body is compressed, oval, 

 covered with scales of medium size. The scales are c3 r cloid, in 

 which respect they differ widely from those fishes they resemble 

 most in external appearance. The opercular pieces are without 

 spines or serratures. Brauchiostegal rays six. The mouth is en- 

 circled by rather thick lips; the intermaxillaries forming by 

 themselves the whole margin of the upper jaw. The intermax- 

 illaries and upper maxillaries are slightly protractile. Teeth only 

 upon the intermaxillaries, lower maxillaries and pharyngeals; 

 none either upon the palatines or the vomer. In this respect, as 

 well as in the absence of spines and serratures upon the opercular 

 pieces, they differ much more from the Pereoids than from the 

 Sparoids ; but the cycloid scales remove them at onoe from the 



