Extraordinary Fishes from California. 221 
fice of the sexual organs, I remained satisfied that this could 
not be the case, and that the young Mr Jackson found so 
lively after putting them in a bucket of salt water, had then 
for the first time come into free contact with the element in 
which they were soon to live; but at the same time, it can 
hardly be doubted that the water penetrates into the marsu- 
pial sac, since these young have fully developed gills. The 
size of the young compared with that of the mother is very 
remarkable, being full one-third its length in the one, and 
nearly so in the other species. Indeed these young Embio- 
tocee, not yet hatched, are three or four times larger than the 
’ young of a Pomotis (of the same size) a full year old. In 
this respect these fishes differ from all the other viviparous 
Species known tous. There is another feature about them of 
considerable interest, that while the twoadults differmarkedly 
in coloration, the young have the same dress, light yellowish- 
olive, with deeper and brighter transverse bands, something 
like the young trouts and salmons in their parr dress. The 
transversely banded species may therefore be considered as 
inferior to the other, since it preserves through life the sys- 
tem of coloration of the embryo. 
It will be a matter of deep interest to trace the early stages 
of growth of these fishes, to examine the structure of the 
ovary and the eggs before fecundation takes place, &c., &e. 
The state of preservation of the specimens in my hands pre- 
cluded every such investigation. 
Though I know thus far only one single genus of this type, 
I do not think it right to combine the generic characters with 
those of the family, as is generally done in such cases, as I 
would also object to the practice of omitting any specific 
characteristics where only one species is known of a genus. 
This shows an entire misapprehension of the relative value 
and subordination of the characters of animals. I would 
therefore characterize as follows the genus. 
Embiotoca, Agass.—Body much compressed and elevated. 
Head small, withscales only on the cheeks and opercular pieces. 
Teeth in both jaws, short, conical, arranged in one row, and 
slightly recurved. The pharyngeal teeth much shorter and 
