178 ANELASMA SQUALICOLA. 



from the state of the ova, that their contents had lately 

 been discharged. The whole thorax was filled with a 

 white, fibrous and cellular mass, consisting perhaps of the 

 testes in their undeveloped state. The individual dis- 

 sected by me, appeared to have been defective in its last 

 act of reproduction, for there were only two or three ova 

 attached to the fraenum on one side, and not very many on 

 the other. The ova are much less elongated than is usual ; 

 they are of a remarkable size, namely T f f T ths of an inch 

 in their longer diameter ; the membrane by which they 

 are united into a pair of lamellae is remarkably strong ; 

 the fraenum (PI. IV, fig. 2f) on each side is large, strong, 

 with rounded edges, pale coloured and hence conspicuous ; 

 on the side nearest the body, the whole surface is covered 

 with club-shaped glands, having very short foot-stalks, 

 and being in total length ?T 5 TT ths of an inch ; these 

 glands secrete a reticulated layer of gut-formed fibres, 

 attached to the ovigerous lamellae. In the specimen de- 

 scribed by Loven, the lamellae (fig. 1, and fig. 2, b, b) appear 

 to have been very large : and in that examined by myself, 

 the peduncle was gorged with immature ova, showing 

 that the female reproductive powers were ample, though 

 at the foregoing period, only a few eggs had been formed. 

 Habits. — According to Loven, this species lives im- 

 bedded in the skin of Squalus maximus and sjpinax, in 

 the North Sea : I suspect that it is not closely com- 

 pressed in its cavity, otherwise, I do not see the use of 

 the two layers of muscles round the whole peduncle ; it 

 probably adheres to the sides of the cavity by the tips of 

 the branched, root-like filaments ; owing to the flexible 

 nature of the capitulum, this Cirripede can offer little in- 

 sistence to the water, and, therefore, is little likely to be 

 torn out of its cavity. I have no doubt that it can fold 

 the membrane of the capitulum, like a cloak, round its 

 thorax and cirri ; but it certainly can offer far less resist- 

 ance, than other Cirripedes, to any enemy. This creature 

 must obtain its food, and considering its productiveness 

 much food must be required, in a manner quite different 



