i889.] California Food Fishes. 107 
as it is of the gains or loses on a cock fight. Remedies for 
snake poison abound as in other countries. One old Indian 
who had been to Manila and had dabbled in drugs, assured us 
that if he could reach the person bitten before he was quite 
dead he could save him by applying muriatic acid. The flying 
lizard, Draco, found here differed from those we had collected 
in other parts, in its larger size, and in having the under surface 
of the membranes bright red in color. 
At the end of the month devoted to Samar and Leite, we 
found a little brig, built in the Philippines, and commanded by 
a Spaniard, loaded with manila hemp and bound for Manila. 
Making a bargain with the captain to land us on the island of 
Masbate, which lay very close to his route, we hurriedly gath- 
ered our collections and luggage together, and embarked. 
ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF CALIFORNIA 
FOOD FISHES. 
pROM a biological standpoint the Surf Perches are the most 
interesting of the California fishes. The species inhabit- 
ing the shores of California are probably all well known, and 
the later stages of their larval development have been well 
treated by Agassiz, Blake and Ryder. Dr. Charles Girard was 
able to e.xamine younger stages than the other writers, but he 
did not contribute much to our knowledge of them. Until now 
the ripe eggs and embryos of these fishes have not been seen. 
During the past two months, December and January, I have 
been enabled to examine many individuals of almost all the 
species found in San Diego Bay. In most of them I have found 
embryos or ripe eggs. Micrometrus aggregatiis, on account of 
its abundance, the ease with which it can be caught, and the 
fact that different individuals of the same date have young in 
widely different stages of development, has proved to be the 
