98 SAGARTIADvE. 



the tentacles, especially those which were on the in- 

 ferior side, were occupied with more or fewer ova, some 

 havins; fiftv or more, others half-a-dozen, others one or two. 

 In each case they were rolling up the interior of the ten- 

 tacle from the general cavity, and coursing to and fro under 

 the influence of the lining cilia, sometimes accumulating 

 temporarily at the tip, but never, so far as I saw, discharged 



there. 



On looking at the mouth, I perceived that the gonidial 

 tubercles of one angle were brought into contact with those 

 of the opposite angle, dividing the mouth into three tem- 

 porary orifices, two lateral and one central. The lateral 

 orifices, however, were at right angles to the ordinary line 

 of extension. Through each of these lateral orifices ova 

 were issuing, somewhat slowly, with an even motion evi- 

 dently ciliary, for the most part not in contact with the 

 sides of the tube, but coming up through its dark centre. 

 As each came into view, and deliberately rolled over the 

 edo-e of the orifice, it streamed across the disk, and over the 

 face of the expanded tentacles, carried clear of all by means 

 of the ciliary currents of these parts. The ova closely fol- 

 lowed each other, generally in single file ; but occasionally 

 two, or even three, were slightly agglutinated together. 

 Perhaps on an average about three or four in a minute 

 issued, but with many lengthened interruptions of the 

 continuity. 



The process of egg-discharge did not continue long after 

 I began to watch it ; though the accumulations remained 

 in the tentacles. The next morning, those that had been 

 deposited were for the most part disintegrated, resolving 

 into an undefined mass of minute cells. A few only here 

 and there retained their outline. During the next day or 

 two, especially in the night, a few more were discharged, 

 which were a little larger than the former, averaging .0060 



