THE FLOUNDER FAMILY. 393 



seems to have been taken after death, or at least after the 

 outline had been altered. 



An older stage, again, 5 mm. in length, was procured two 

 years previously iu St Andrews Bay by aid of the mid-water net, 

 viz. on the 22nd August, 1888\ and a figure (Plate XVIII, fig. 3) 

 by Mr J. Pentland Smith, M.A., B.Sc, from the native little 

 fish, which lived in the Laboratory for some time, is here given. 

 A careful comparison of this figure with that of Cunningham 

 confirms the opinion formerly expressed. The body had con- 

 siderably increased in depth, the notochord was bent up post- 

 eriorly, and the cartilaginous elements (hypural) were developing 

 beneath, while the fin-rays of the tail were evident. The most 

 conspicuous feature in coloration was the presence of deep 

 ochre-pigment iu the marginal fins, dorsally and ventrally, this 

 having taken the place of the pale larval pigment formerly 

 alluded to. The first spot occurred at the occiput, and was so 

 conspicuous in life that when darting through the vessel it 

 seemed as if furnished with a spur on its head. Behind were 

 other finely branched pigment-areas, somewhat conical in shape, 

 the base being at the margin of the muscle-plates of the body. 

 Two less distinctly marked spots appeared in the ventral marginal 

 fin, each being somewhat behind a vertical line from the corre- 

 sponding dorsal area. A series of small stellate spots ran 

 along the margin of the body, dorsally and ventrally, various 

 chromatophores of the same hue extended over the abdominal 

 surface and on the head and cheeks, and many minute blackish 

 specks occurred on the same regions as well as on the sides. 

 Along the margin of the body specks of similar pigment were 

 present between the large and small chromatophores. The 

 eyes were relatively small and of a bluish silvery aspect. 

 A specimen at a similar stage of development is described and 

 figured by Ehrenbaum^. 



An example 11 mm. long, and apparently of this species 

 was procured by Mr Gamble on the 9th August; and Mr 

 Cunningham^ describes the presence of an air-bladder, which 



' W. C. M. Seventh Ann. Rept. Fishery Board, 1889, p. 305, PL III, fig. 4. 



2 Op. at. Taf. V, fig. 30. 



» Jour. M. B. Ass. 1891-92, p. 327, PI. XIV, fig. 2. 



