318 MR. F. JEFFREY BELL ON THE RETENTION" 



year to have been taken on the island of Lewes, but which on 

 investigation turned out to have been similarly brought from its 

 native habitat*. 



Clupea sprattus. 



Although Mr. Holdsworth, in his excellent work on ' Deep- 

 Sea Fisheries ' (pp. 133, 134), has alluded to the subject of the 

 spawning of these fishes, I have thought that further confirma- 

 tion of his observations might be desirable. I have therefore 

 this season had examples collected and sent to me from Cornwall, 

 when on January 12th I found some had fully developed ova and 

 others similarly forward milt. 



On the Apparent Eetention of a Sur-anal Plate by a young JEchi- 

 nometra. By F. Jeffrey Bell, M.A. (Communicated by 

 Dr. J. Mtjrie, F.L.S.) 



[Read March 3, 1881.] 



It will, I think, be of interest to direct the attention of the 

 Society to the characters of the apical system of a small speci- 

 men of what I take to be an example of the species JEehinometra 

 viridis. Did it stand alone, we might have some difficulty in 

 associating it with any completely adult form as yet known to us ; 

 fortunately, however, there are in the National collection three 

 other specimens, which exhibit a less remarkable arrangement of 

 the parts of their apical area : none, unfortunately, have any 

 definite history, and they are all denuded of spines. 



The retention of a sur-anal plate in a test with its longest 

 (though not its morphological) axis as much as 12*5 millim. long 

 is a point of sufficient importance, in so differentiated a genus as 

 Ecliinometra, as to make the determination of the species a 

 matter of comparatively secondary concern. 



That the plate in question is to be regarded as a persistent 

 sur-anal will be seen to be something more than a plausible 

 suggestion, if the illustrating woodcut be carefully examined. In 

 character and relation it would correspond either to the definition 



* Since reading this paper I have received a note from Mr. Dunn, of Meva- 

 gissey, who informs me that he has just seen Captain Ball, of 'The Eoseland,' 

 who has informed him that Barron brought the Ostracion in question from the 

 Island of Ascension, 



