of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 
275 
egg being filled With yolk-spheres, — that is, before the final change to the 
translucent pelagic condition had taken place. As a result of these 
observations it would appear that the turbot spawns off the East Coast 
sparingly at the end of April and in May, and more abundantly in June 
and July. Few of the turbot from Iceland were very ripe towards the end 
of June, though many had a few translucent eggs here and there. All 
observations up to date seem to show that the spawning season of a given 
species is earlier in the south, and gets later as we proceed northward. 
The spawning-period just mentioned would appear to coincide with the 
occurrence in deep water of the unknown post-larval forms, hereafter to 
be described, but such post-larval and young forms are occasionally to be 
found near shore, as in the neighbourhood of the ' Traith ' or Turbot-Hole 
in the Forth. 
It is interesting that the majority of the ova captured by the tow-nets 
in St Andrews Bay had embryos far advanced, apparently indicating that 
they had been carried by currents a considerable distance, a supposition 
perhaps borne out by the actual distribution of the adults (i.e., mature 
fishes) in the neighbourhood. 
An egg (of the doubtful form F) at an early stage of advancement 
(9th July 1891) is shown in PI. XIV. fig. 2, the blastoderm having 
spread out as it proceeds to envelop the yolk. The perivitelline 
space is small, and sometimes the exterior of the zona is slightly 
roughened from adherent particles. In one somewhat older, fig. 3, 
8th July 1891, a peculiar constriction is observed, as if the blastoderm 
were compressing the yolk before the closure of the blastopore, but 
the latter is already closed. On focussing deeply, several vesicles and 
granules (a) are visible. Next day (9th) a slightly yellowish tinge is 
visible over the embryo and yolk, and the latter presents minute granules 
with processes, the precursors of the pigment-specks. The lenses are 
distinct, and the caudal end of the embryo projects (PI. XIV. fig. 4) with 
several large vesicles (Kupffer's) in front of it. Protoplasmic processes 
stretch from the pectoral region. On the 12th the heart pulsated actively 
(60 per minute), though the impression in regard to certain ova was that 
the action of the heart was somewhat later in being manifested than in 
the cod. The reticulated papillose condition of the surface of the yolk is 
also visible. Active movements of the embryo take place, and it rolls 
and twists in the egg. After the appearance of the otoliths the cuticular 
surface over the eye shows the same papillose condition as that character- 
istic of the yolk, and the embryo constantly changes its position (PI. XIV 
fig. 6). The site of the oil-globule in a lateral view of the egg at a some- 
what earlier stage is shown in fig. 5. At the former stage (fig. 6) the 
hind-gut is distinct, but the anus is closed. The ring of protoplasm 
around the fixed oil-globule is well marked, and the yolk is considerably 
less. These ova are not quite round, one diameter often exceeding the 
other, so that they appear slightly ovoid. 
The larva has already been described in the Researches (p. 835), 
and it is only necessary to note certain features. The pigment is deep 
gamboge yellow, and a patch occurs about the middle of the tail. The 
same yellowish pigment suffuses the snout, eyes, and sides of the body, but 
does not at first go into the marginal fin. It, however, tints the under 
surface of the head and the upper part of the yolk-sac. A few black 
chromatophores accompany the yellow. By transmitted light the pig- 
ment is very deep, almost approaching orange. The pectoral is small. 
Traces of two slight folds of skin are occasionally seen from the oil-globule 
forward on each side of the yolk. The notochord seems to be multi- 
columnar. Professor Prince's figure (Researches, pi. xvii. fig. 4) is 
evidently from a larva much better matured before hatching. In a 
paper recently (Dec. 1891) communicated to the Royal Dublin Society, 
