4 BIOLOGICAL SURVEY OF 



on the northern slope of Georges Bank), and something less 

 than 200 miles to the edge of the continental shelf. Sorrento 

 Harbor is guarded by Dram and Preble Islands (chart 3), 

 giving two entrances at an angle to each other; connection 

 with Flanders Bay to the east is nearly cut oif by a bar 

 exposed at low water. There is only a slight flow of tide 

 through this harbor. The ebb flow of tide in Frenchmans 

 Bay is considerably stronger than the flood, because of the 

 large influx of fresh water from several streams. The balance 

 of tide movement, then, would tend to carry the veils out 

 toward the sea rather than in the reverse direction. 



These two veils were found only a few yards apart under 

 the wharf. One veil was two or three yards under the east 

 side of the wharf well entangled among the piles; this veil 

 was the earlier in development at the stage shown in figures 1 

 and 2 in the germ-ring stage. The other veil was just at the 

 west edge of the wharf, partly outside, but with one end 

 among the piles ; this veil was apparently about a day older — 

 an inference based on the subsequent rate of development of 

 the embryos in the laboratory. 



Certain conclusions to be drawn from the finding of these 

 veils under the circumstances described above seem inevitable. 

 In the time between fertilization and the early stage of de- 

 velopment shown by the embryos (eight to twelve hours for 

 the younger veil, thirty-six hours for the older) it is hardly 

 conceivable that these two veils would have drifted even from 

 some place near in the deep water of the open sea and into 

 the narrow mouth of Sorrento Harbor with a weak tide cur- 

 rent, particularly with the balance of the tide flow out rather 

 than in, as explained above. 



Here it may be pertinent to consider how much credence 

 can be put in the belief that Lophius goes out into the open 

 sea to spawn. Essentially a bottom fish and with a form and 

 motion least adapted to swimming out into the open sea, it 

 would seem reasonable to believe that the veils are cast in 

 bays and coves by the fish coming up from their natural 

 habitat. 



