VIII. On the development of the skull in lepidosteus osseus

Abstract

In the early part of 1879 I received from Professor A. Agassiz a large series of eggs and embryos of Lepidosteus, which by the help of Mr. Garman he had obtained from the Black Lake the year before. These specimens, carefully preserved in fifty-four small bottles, Professor Agassiz put into my hands to be worked out by Mr. Balfour and myself. A few years before I had received from Professor Burt G. Wilder some larger young of this Fish, which extended the “ stages ” for us considerably; and several adults obtained by Mr. Balfour, and one which I received from Professor Flower, made up the total of our materials. The present communication is the result of my own researches into the growth of the skull and visceral arches. Mr. Balfour, assisted by my son, Mr. W. N. Parker, has prepared an elaborate memoir on the embryology of this important type, to which are added observations on the structure of various organs in the adult. When our work was scarcely begun I prevailed upon Dr. Traquair to work out the adult skull, and that piece of research is, I believe, nearly finished, so that this Holostean Ganoid will soon have had a fair amount of attention given to it.