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Part III. — Ninth Annual Report 
extends to the base of the tail. The mouth at first is motionless, though 
widely open. The eyes have a bright greenish lustre dorsally, but this 
disappears after death ; laterally, they have a silvery sheen. The auditory 
capsules are large, and close to the eyes. A greenish colour appears in 
the intestine of many, both in those with and without an oil-globule. 
In certain of the subsequent stages the young sand-eel somewhat re- 
sembles the young gunnel, but, independently of the greater depth of the 
body and the development of the pelvic fins in the latter, the ventral 
pigment of the two is different, and the shape of the head, the ventral 
skin-folds of the sand-eel, as well as the long dorsal fin, aid in differentia- 
tion. At the length of 35 mm. hardly a trace of pigment occurs on the 
abdominal surface as far back as the anus. Each ray of the anal has a 
pair of black pigment-specks. On the other hand, on the dorsum and the 
lateral line numerous chromatophores occur. It will thus be seen that 
the conspicuous abdominal rows of chromatophores are larval, and dis- 
appear during growth. 
12. List of some of the Pelagic Ova, Larvve, and Young Fishes, 
OBTAINED BY THE ' GaELAND ' IN 1890 AND 1891.* 
This year the collections of the pelagic ova have increased considerably 
in number and variety, and, moreover, at certain stations large numbers 
have been captured, as in former special expeditions. They denote, 
indeed, skilful and continuous use of the tow-nets at surface and bottom, 
and reflect credit on Mr Scott, F.L.S., the naturalist employed on board 
the ' Garland.' A special feature on this occasion is the collection made 
by Mr W. Anderson Smith and Dr Fullarton in the Clyde, and which 
forms a useful comparison with those made off the east coast of Scotland. 
Considerable difficulty is experienced in diagnosing these preserved 
ova, especially as the fluids or the strength of the fluids vary according 
to the opinions or convenience of the collector. As formerly stated,! 
the diagnosis cannot be held as certain in all cases, yet in doubtful 
instances comparison has been made as far as possible with eggs removed 
from the parent fish. 
Amongst the pelagic eggs usually procured and preserved by the various 
methods now adopted, those of the long rough dab exceed in size those 
of most forms, and besides are characterised by the large perivitelline 
space. The plaice comes next, with its comparatively abundant ova. 
Two with oil-globules succeed it, viz., those of the brill and the grey gurnard, 
the slightly smoky hue of the oil-globule in the latter being a noteworthy 
feature. The lemon-dab, the bib, the cod, and the pollack follow in 
order, with the ripe ovarian eggs of Miiller's top-knot. The ling with its 
oil-globule, and the translucent egg of the sprat are next in order, while 
the whiting and the poorcod approach them. The egg of the turbot with 
its oil-globule is followed by that of the three-bearded rockling, and then 
come several without an oil-globule, viz., the flounder, the dab, and the 
dragonet. The smallest series, generally of two sizes, and furnished 
with oil-globules, is that of the rocklings. 
In the collection made in the Clyde, the most interesting features are 
the occurrence of the eggs of the witch or pole-flounder, the variegated 
sole (?), and the little sole, of a mullet-like species, and the frequence of 
* In preserving pelagic eggs of fishes, it is very necessary to adopt a uniform 
method, the same preserving fluid of a given strength, for instance, being used in 
each case, so that, as far as possible, an equivalent amount of contraction may 
ensue. The resemblances of many are so close that much aid is obtained from the 
comparative sizes in discriminating them. 
t Eighth Annual Report, part iii. p. 284. 
