376 Labyrinthici and Holconoti 
Zalembius rosaceus, is handsomest of all, rose-red with a black 
lateral spot. Cymatogaster aggregatus, the surf-shiner, is a 
little fish, excessively common along the California coast, and 
from its abundance it has been selected by Dr. Eigenmann 
as the basis of his studies of these fishes. In this species the 
male shows golden and black markings, which are wanting in 
the silvery female, and the anterior rays of the anal are thickened 
or otherwise modified. 
No fossil embiotocoids are recorded. 
The viviparity of the Embiotocide was first made known 
by Dr. A. C. Jackson in 1863 in a letter to Professor Agassiz. 
From this letter we make the following extracts: 
“A few days, perhaps a week, after the four trials, and on 
the 7th of June, I rose early in the morning for the purpose of 
taking a mess of fish for breakfast, pulled to the usual place, 
baited with crabs, and commenced fishing, the wind blowing 
too strong for profitable angling; nevertheless on the first and 
second casts I fastened the two fishes, male and female, that 
I write about, and such were their liveliness and strength that 
they endangered my slight trout rod. I, however, succeeded 
in bagging both, though in half an hour’s subsequent work I 
got not even a nibole from either this or any other species of 
fish. I determined to change the bait, to put upon my hook 
a portion of the fish already caught, and cut for that purpose 
into the larger of the two fish caught. I intended to take a piece 
from the thin part of the belly, when what was my surprise 
to see coming from the opening thus made a small live fish. 
This I at first supposed to be prey which this fish had 
swallowed, but on further opening the fish I was vastly aston- 
ished to find next to the back of the fish and slightly attached 
to it a long very light violet bag, so clear and so transparent that I 
could already distinguish through it the shape, color, and forma- 
tion of a multitude of small fish (all facsimiles of each other), 
with which it was well filled. I took it on board (we were 
occupying a small vessel which we had purchased for survey- 
ing purposes). When I opened the bag, I took therefrom eighteen 
more of the young fish, precisely like in size, shape, and color 
the first I had accidentally extracted. The mother was very 
large round her center and of a very dark-brown color, ap- 
