THE FLOUNDER FAMILY. 337 



probably due to friction against the bottom or sides of the 

 pond, and even though the bottom was covered with sand the 

 ulcers had a tendency to appear. In confinement, the adults 

 are extremely fond of herrings and sand-eels just as they are 

 when free. 



When, however, the eggs are obtained and fertilized, no 

 difficulty is found in hatching them, for the 'Dannevig'- 

 apparatus at Dunbar causes constant and equable movement. 

 Thus the tendency to sink — observed by Holt and others — is 

 counteracted. 



The Brill. {Bothus rhombus, L.) 



Notwithstanding the comparative abundance of the brill off 

 the shores of Britain, few opportunities for the examination of 

 its eggs have occurred, and even now some points require 

 re-investigation, since the eggs hatched at St Andrews were 

 fertilized with the milt of the turbot. A close similitude, 

 however, exists between the two species in regard to develop- 

 ment. In all probability, like the turbot, the brill spawns only 

 in deep water. 



Amongst those who have written on the subject, Parnell, in 

 his Fishes of the Forth, states that the brill spawns in spring : 

 Malm found a ripe female on the 20th May on the coast of 

 Bohuslan. Couch does not appear to have seen a ripe fish, and 

 Day has no information of his own concerning its reproduction. 

 Recently Raffaele gave some attention to the egg of this species 

 at Naples. The floating egg was found in February and 

 March, with a diameter of 1'33 mm., the oil-globule being 

 0'23 mm. He describes the brownish pigment of the embryo 

 in the egg, and gives a figure of a larva with the yolk partially 

 absorbed (fig. 18, tav. 4) which he doubtfully refers to the brill. 

 The head of this larva is peculiar, the snout being pointed 

 superiorly, and the oil-globule placed somewhat behind the 

 centre of the yolk ventrally. The pale brown pigment with 

 some darker specks is distributed generally over the body and 

 yolk-sac, while a patch occurs in the marginal fin dorsally just 

 behind the pectorals, and a broad bar dorsally and ventrally 

 M. p. 22 



