of the Fishery Board for Scotlami. 
319 
touches mentioned the brownish pigment of the body soon fades, yellowish- 
brown taking its place, and finally the tip is pale. The yolk-sac shows a 
series of black chromatophores along the upper arch and at the oil-globule, 
brownish corpuscles along the anterior border, and yellowish with a few 
brown over the posterior half. 
This form therefore dilfers from the supposed larval brill figured by 
Dr Eaffaele in the general outline of the body, in the normal condition of 
the head, in the position of the oil-globule, which in the Neapolitan speci- 
men has a considerable portion of yolk behind it. The shade of brown in 
the two forms differs much, but it is noteworthy that the pigment-touches 
in the marginal fin approach each other. Thus the posterior bar is in the 
same position in both, but the anterior is above the posterior border of 
the pectoral in the iovm from Naples. How far these differences are due 
to hybridism further observations only will show. 
2. On the Eggs and Larv^ of the Pleueonectid B — 
The Long Rough Dab % 
The ova of most of the pleuronectids, with the exception of the 
halibut, have been under observation at St Andrews or elsewhere, 
the only other doubtful case being that of the long rough dab, for the 
ripe specimens examined during the trawling expeditions had been more 
or less dried by exposure on the deck of a trawler ; and though the ova 
were evidently pelagic their characters were incomplete. Thus the turbot 
has a small pelagic egg with an oil-globule ; the brill has a considerable 
egg also with an oil-globule ; the egg of Miiller's topknot has an oil- 
globule, and it is probable that the other species of the genus agree in this 
respect. Eaffaele describes the eggs of an Arnofjlossus as having an oil- 
globule, and with a diagnostic post-larval form, and Mr Holt has lately been 
able to verify this off the west coast of Ireland in A. megastoma. The eggs 
of the plaice, lemon dab, witch or pole flounder, dab, and flounder, are 
all known ; while the eggs of most of the soles have likewise been 
described, and are readily differentiated. 
The egg in question (Pleuronectid B) is a comparatively common egg, 
occurring in considerable numbers on the fishing grounds off the Forth, 
as observed during the trawling expeditions in 1884, and, besides, is 
very often swept in small numbers into various bays. It belongs to 
a pleuronectid very generally distributed, and which spawns with great 
regularity in March, April, and May off the East Coast of Scotland. 
It appears sooner on the deep water fishing banks than, for instance, 
in St Andrews Bay, either probably because the spawning fishes occur 
there, and some time is required for the transmission of the ova by 
currents, or because the adults on these grounds attain maturity somewhat 
earlier. No ripe fish in St Andrews Bay has been seen with such eggs, 
but this is to be expected since the adults of most of the pleuronectids 
spawn on the offshore grounds. 
Mr Cunningham* described and figured this egg (Pleuronectid B) before 
hatching, and further observations were given on the egg and the 
newly-hatched larva in the 'Pelagic Fauna' of St Andrews Bay.t 
* Trans, Roy. Soc. Edin., p. 105, pi. vii. fig. 2. He observes: — 'This form is 
'easily distinguished by one conspicuous characteristic, viz., that the peri vitelline 
* space is very wide The eggs vi'ere obtained in the latter end of March, both 
* in 1885 and 1886, about lO^niiles east of the Isle of May. Unfortunately, time could 
* not be found to give sufficient attention to the form to isolate and keep it alive till 
' hatching took place. Thus the characters of the larva were not ascertained, and 
* no egg at all similar has been taken directly from an adult fish. ' Published 
May 1887. 
t Seventh Annual Bejport, S.F.B., p. 270, &c., pi. ill. figs 1, 2, and 3. 
