IJ2 H. H. NEWMAN. 



large and numerous on the sides of the head and on the ventral 

 fins, and comparatively small and scattering on the sides anterior 

 and posterior to the point of greatest pressure. 



The distribution of the contact organs in F. diaphanus is strik- 

 ingly like that just described for F. heteroditus. The spawning 

 attitude has not been observed, but, from analogy, one might be 

 fairly certain that it closely resembles that of the latter. 



F. majalis seldom spawns in captivity and when the former 

 paper was written the writer had never observed a case of spawn- 

 ing in this species. During the following summer, however, 

 several instances of this phenomenon came under observation. 

 F. majalis does not seem to spawn in pairs, but two or more males 

 cooperate with a single female. On one instance as many as five 

 males were seen piled in a struggling heap over one female. The 

 whole mass was in strong vibration and the surrounding water 

 was clouded with milt. Although the exact details of the spawn- 

 ing attitude could not be made out on any occasion, it is certain 

 that the points of contact are much less restricted than in F. 

 heteroditus. The nearest males clasp convenient parts of the 

 female and the outer males seemed to clasp the inner ones or to 

 crowd their bodies into the mass backforemost. The distribution 

 of contact organs accords with this rather promiscuous manner 

 of spawning. They are largest and most numerous on dorsal 

 and anal fins and on a zone- of the body between these fins. 

 There are none on the ventral fins as they could not be locked 

 in spawning. On the dorsal surface of body and head, on cheeks 

 and snout, they vary in size and abundance, but in many speci- 

 mens the ventral surface of the body and the ventral and pectoral 

 fins are the only parts not provided with them. 



Cyprinodon variegatus, a small species with decidedly com- 

 pressed body, spawns in pairs in much the same fashion as 

 F. heteroditus, but the short body and very flat sides give a 

 greater area of contact between male and female. Corresponding 

 with this greater area of contact the contact organs are more 

 generally distributed over the body than in any of the other 

 species. On the very high dorsal fin, however, they are restricted 

 to the proximal portion of the rays, for only that portion can 

 touch the sharp-edged back of the female. They occur plenti- 

 fully on the smaller anal and ventral fins. 



