134 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



SCOMBRESOCIDJE. 



Exocoetus pcecilepturus (the " Flying Fish ") shows the posi- 

 tion of the sacculus by two distinct excrescences of the base of 

 the skull. The sagittse are large for the size of the fish. Belone 

 annulata (the " Garpike ") has two elongated bosses of thin bone, 

 not so much under the basi-occiput but at the under side of the 

 skull, that cover the sacculi and show their position. The 

 sagittae are small for the size of the fish. 



Ammodytid.^. 



Ammodytes lanceolatus (the Sand Eel or Launce) shows the 



site of the sagittae by a piece of thin bone underlying them ; 



this does not stand out, however, from the skull. The sagittae 



are small. 



Antherinid^:. 



In Atherina hepsetus, a Mediterranean fish, the bone of the 

 base of the skull is very transparent. The sagittae could be seen 

 quite plainly in situ. In Atherinichthys bonariense (called the 

 "Sea Pajerrey" at Buenos Aires) the site of the sacculus is 

 indicated by two elongated prominences of thin bone, but not 

 transparent enough to show the stones. In A. argentinense (the 

 " Freshwater Pajerrey ") the thin bone over the sacculus is not 

 markedly prominent, neither is it transparent enough to show 

 the stones, which are of but moderate size for the size of the 

 fish. The sacculus part holding the sagitta is in an open pocket ; 

 the stone could be lifted out through the open top. The lagena 

 end of the sacculus is, however, covered with bone which had to 

 be cut away to get out the asteriscus. 



MUGILID.E. 



The sacculus of Mugil braziliensis (the " Queeriman " of 

 Demerara, British Guiana) rests in a bony pocket that is open 

 at the top. The lagena is long, and runs back at the end of the 

 pocket into a burrow of its own in the basi-occiput. M. capito 

 (the Grey Mullet) has two strong bony prominences on the basi- 

 occiput that continue upwards round the side. This upward 

 portion is what lies more immediately under the site of the 

 sacculus, which is placed in a long bony pocket ; the lagena is a 

 very decided prolongation of the sacculus, and holds a fairly 



