Class 1.—_Tunicata._ The tunicates are remarkable animals, and seem to stumble on the border line between Invertebrates and Vertebrates. Their vertebrate characteristics—gill slits, notochord, dorsal nervous system, and brain eye—are generally discernible only in the free-swimming larval state. They generally degenerate as they progress towards the adult condition, and diverge greatly from the vertebrate type. They are mostly stationary. They are multicellular animals possessing bilateral symmetry. The body is enveloped by a thickened cuticle containing cellulose. The pharynx, perforated with the gill slits, is surrounded by a peribranchial chamber (atrium) which communicates with the exterior by an atrial opening. Heart is simple and tubular. The nervous system is generally reduced to a single ganglion. Nephridia are absent. Hermaphrodites. Usually a metamorphosis. Class 2.—_Leptocardii._ Simple, worm-like vertebrate animals represented by a single distinct type—amphioxus or lancelet. The central nervous system consists of a spinal cord, and a very ill-defined, rudimentary brain. No skeleton other than an unsegmented and persistent notochord which projects beyond the anterior end of the nerve cord. No scales. Gill slits are very numerous in the adult. Amphioxus is widely removed from the fishes by the absence of skull, jaws, definite brain, sympathetic nervous system, ear, eye, genital ducts, spleen, and definite heart, the latter being simple and tubular. No pectoral or pelvic limbs (fins). Blood colorless; gastrula ciliated and free-swimming. Metamorphosis. Class 3.—_Marsipobranchii._ Worm-like vertebrates having round mouths without distinctly developed jaws; no jaw-bones. Without scales and without paired limbs (fins). Six or seven gill pouches. Skeleton consists of persistent, unconstricted, cartilaginous notochord. No sympathetic nervous system. Single nasal sac. No conus arteriosus, no spleen or pancreas. Undivided segmental duct. Class 4.—_Pisces._[26] Aquatic, cold-blooded vertebrates, with a movable lower jaw. Cartilaginous or osseous skeleton, with paired pectoral and pelvic fins, supported by fin rays (_radials_ diverging from several _basal_ pieces); also unpaired fins. No sternum. Exoskeleton of bony plates or scales. Skull has usually one occipital condyle. Breathing by permanent gills attached to gristly or bony arches on the sides of the gill clefts. In most fishes the digestive cavity gives origin to an air bladder which may or may not remain permanently connected with the digestive cavity. It mostly serves a hydrostatic purpose, but in some of the more primitive fishes (Amia, Lepidosteus) it is occasionally of some slight use in respiration. Heart consists of single auricle and single ventricle, and contains only venous blood; there is a sinus venosus and often a conus arteriosus. No inferior vena cava. No allantois. Most fishes lay eggs which are fertilized in the water.