The central nervous system (CNS) is the first adult organ system to appear during vertebrate development, and the process of its emergence is commonly called neurulation. Such biological "urgency" is perhaps not surprising given the structural and functional complexity of the CNS and the importance of neural function to adaptive behavior and individual survival. Soon after an egg is fertilized, it is subdivided into many cells, and those cells are rearranged in a process called gastrulation, which begins the formation of the CNS. In fact, neurulation seems to begin before gastrulation is completed, and the two processes appear seamlessly joined, suggesting that many of the cells and underlying mechanisms are involved in both processes. Thus, students wishing to understand neurulation should begin their study with a review of gastrulation and its mechanisms using one of several text books or an excellent monograph. They might also find useful a recent review of videos and published papers dealing with the subject. This article offers a look at the neurulation in "Xenopus" frog and in bony fish. (Contains 3 figures and 2 footnotes.)