54 X. KTRHIXOUYE. 



Of the spawning of the American Limulus there is a minute 

 description hy Lockwood in the American Naturalist vol. IV ; but as 

 the spawnirig process of the Ja])ariese TAumJiis differs a little from 

 thai of tlie American species, I shall give a brief account of it. 



The kahiitogani deposits its eggs chiefly in August. On calm 

 nif'hts durino' that month, males and females, the former on the 

 abdominal shield of the latter, come in with the rising tide towards 

 sandy sliores. Judging from appearances after deposition, the 

 process of spawning is as follov.'s : Egg-laying takes place between 

 the tide-marks, l)ut only as tliis space becomes covered with water. 

 The female excavates a hole, about 15 c.m. deep, and deposits eggä 

 in it, while the male fertilizes them. The female afterwards buries 

 them and begins to excavate the next hole. This process is repeated 

 niany times. 



As Limulus can not dig deeper than about 15 cm. when the dia- 

 meter of the hole is less than the breadth (jf the céphalothorax, the 

 eggs deposited in such holes are liable to be washed out of the sand, 

 and carried away by waves, when the wind is rather strong. This is 

 especially the case with older eggs the vicarious cliorion of which 

 beinof inflated acts as a sort of float. 



As a general thing, fishermen do not pay much attention to the 

 lahutogani on acc<3unt of its small economic value, and even an ex- 

 perienced fisherman does not know tlie place where it spawns. Such 

 being the case, Mr. T. Xozaki kindly detailed a fislierman to make 

 special search for the lahuto(jaui\'< eggs along the shores of the Inland 

 Sea. The fisherman succeeded in finding spawn of the animal on 

 the shore at Obatake, a village not far from Ajino. I was taken by 

 the fisherman and Mr. Xozaki to this spot. When we reached the 

 place, the fisherman began to dig at random those parts of the shore, 

 from which the tide had retired. 



