Frail Animal Life. i6y 



This information would seem to put us in the way of satisfac- 

 torily settiing the question of whether it is a good species or only 

 a variety of W. filifera. No material difference can be discerned 

 between the seeds received as being of W. robusta, and those col- 

 lected by W. G. Wright, in San Bernardino, and myself in Lower 

 California, from trees which we considered as belonging to W. 

 filifera. F. Stephens, the ornithologist, has recently called my 

 attention to an apparent difference in the inflorescence of the San 

 Bernardino and the Lower Californian palms, but the lack of ma- 

 terial prevents any statements being made at the present time. 



Washingtonia robusta, as we have before intimated, will doubt- 

 less prove merely a well marked variety of W. filifera. 



Editor. 



FRAIL ANIMAL LIFE, 



One summer day I took a few eggs of the common 'horn-pout,' 

 or ' cat-fish '(P. atrarius), from under a board in the creek and put 

 them in a small dish of water. They had probably just been de- 

 posited there, as there was a fish with them. Each ^-g^ consisted 

 of a small yellow part, surrounded by a semi-rtransparent part of a 

 whitish color; in a short time a small white spot made its appear- 

 ance in the centre of the yellow part. It grew larger and soon 

 two eyes began to develop in the white spot, and later a small 

 stream of blood began to pass from the lower part, upward, toward 

 the eyes and passing, drop by drop, disappeared under the now 

 large, head-shaped portion that contained the eyes. This white 

 part, gradually assuming a darker color, began to protrude and 

 shape itself more and more until it extended some distance from 

 the yellow part. While the head was thus growing, a tail was 

 making its appearance, and extending in an opposite direction 

 from the head. The ^^^ was now growing smaller while the fish 

 rapidly increased in size. The blood in the small artery w^as now 

 flowing along the back and disappearing in the head; it was truly 

 wonderful to see this small stream of bright red blood going on its 

 way, drop by drop, without any visable cause. 



The fish (or ^%'g) soon began to show signs of active life, wrig- 

 ling and trying to move itself and its burden of ^^^ food. The 

 white, semi-transparent part was now rapidly absorbed, and the 

 fish grew with astonishing rapidity, and could soon move about 

 by jerks. It would make a great effort and move several times its 

 length when it would remain quiet for some time. No fins had as 

 yet appeared, and it still carried a yellow sack about as large as 

 itself. It was just learning to swim when the dish was upset and 

 observations brought to an end, much after the manner of a chap- 

 ter in a continued story. y. O. Snyder. 



