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XIX. — On the Development and Life- Histories of the Teleostean Food- and other Fishes. 

 By Professor W. C. M'Intosh, F.R.S., and E. E. Prince, B.A., St Andrews Marine 

 Laboratory.* (Plates I. to XXVIII.) 



(Read 18th June 1888.) 



For Table of Contents see end of paper. 



I. General Remarks. 



Until very recently existing information concerning the eggs and oviposition of 

 British fishes, and more especially marine fishes, was of the most fragmentary 

 character. In the standard works upon Ichthyology, such as Owen's Anatomy of 

 Vertebrates (vol. i. Fishes), it is comprised in a few vague sentences ; while the original 

 papers published by British ichthyologists are not numerous, and refer, for the most 

 part, to fresh-water species. Within the last few years, however, attention has been 

 more systematically directed to the subject, and the enlightened views of the late Royal 

 Commission on Trawling, and more especially of its chairman, the late Earl of 

 Dalhousie, has given a fresh impetus to the study of the development and life-history 

 of our food-fishes, as preliminary to a thorough investigation of their habits, food, so- 

 called migrations, and general life-history. 



The following paper comprises the first results of our recent work at the St Andrews 

 Marine Laboratory. 



Though much has been done by foreign observers of late years in regard to the 

 development of marine fishes, yet the cod and herring only, amongst those conspicuous 

 by their economic value in this country, have been specially dealt with. 



It was therefore necessary, even at the risk of repeating some observations already 

 known to science, to examine as thoroughly as possible the ovarian growth, oviposition, 

 hatching, and development of such of the important white fishes as could be obtained, 

 and to fill up the gaps in our knowledge of the period between the escape of the embryo 

 from the egg, and the young, though advanced, forms known to naturalists and fishermen. 



* The authors have to acknowledge the courtesy of the Fishery Board for Scotland, under whose auspices the work 

 has been accomplished, and to whom all credit is given. Grants from the Royal Society (Government Grant) and 

 from the British Association have also been of great service in regard to assistance and apparatus. To Dr Scharff, 

 B.Sc, now of the Museum of the Royal College of Science, Dublin, for valued aid of various kinds in 1886, and to 

 Dr J. Wilson of St Andrews, for help in making sections, our acknowledgments are also due. When cruising in the 

 Fishery Board tender " Garland," Mr W. L. Calderwood, B.Sc, and Mr H. E. Durham, B.A., also kindly gave 

 assistance. It may further be stated that the first part of the paper, containing the development of the food-fishes and 

 their early larval condition, was mainly the work of Mr Prince ; while the account of the post-larval stages, the 

 development of Anarrhichas and the salmon, was the work of Dr M'Intosh. Mr Prince added further notes on the 

 structure of the later stages of other forms. 



VOL. XXXV. PART III. (NO. 19). 5 Q 



