The long and keenly debated question, "what is 

 the real nature of Leptocephalids?" has been, quite 

 recently, finally answered, as all are aware, by the 

 studies Grassi and Calandruccio have published upon 

 these animal-forms. They found them to be normal 

 larva-stages of fishes that belong to the group Mu- 

 rcenids. It may perhaps seem, from this fact, that 

 to continue to treat the Leptocephalids as though 

 they formed one independent and systematic group is 

 unjustifiable. Such treatment may however possibly 

 be defended on the score of the intimate connection 

 between Leptocephalid forms and Mursenids respecti- 

 vely having only in a few cases been proved with 

 any certainty. A further justification for the same 

 lies in the fact that it will certainly be long before 

 the intimate connection above mentioned has been fully 

 exemplified for all forms. It is however evident that 

 in reference to Leptocephalids the terms "genus" and 

 "species" must not be accepted in the ordinary sense, 

 but rather looked upon as a sort of temporary no- 

 menclature. 



Considering the limited knowledge at present pos- 

 sessed relative to these animal-forms it would be ven- 



