6 ART. 2.— BASHFORD DEAN. 



From the foregoing data, we can, I believe, conclude very 

 definitely that in the case of one myxinoid at least, a definite period 

 of spawning occurs.* For it will be seen that a very large proportion 

 of the full grown females taken during the year are with eggs of a 

 uniform degree of development. Furthermore, during the late fall it 

 is found that nearly every full-grown female taken presents empty 

 follicular capsules. And finally there can be traced a regular growth 

 in the size of the ovarian eggs from the winter months to the late 

 summer. Exceptions to these rules undoubtedly occur, but they are, 

 as the table shows, far from common. The rate of growth of the egg 

 in length is estimated approximately at 3 mm. per month. It may 

 be safely said that the ovarian eggs begin to differentiate distinctly 

 during the month of January, and that their growth (in length) is 

 completed by the middle of August. The spawning season appears 

 to the last from about this time until the end of October. By the 

 middle of the latter month, however, more than half of the females 

 appear to have spawned. By the end of November the spawning 

 season is probably finished. I have noticed also that the sexual 

 development of the male corresponds in general with that of the 

 female. All males taken at the end of October were completely spent. 

 Those taken during July showed clearly late stages in spermato- 

 genesis, and ripe specimens were not uncommon. 



As in the case of the Californian myxinoid, Hôtnea stouti, there 

 can be little question that in the Japanese species, too, hermaphrodi- 

 tism does not occur, to say nothing of its protandric form. At certain 

 seasons of the year, however, males are uncommon, and in certain 



* It is by no means impossible that a systematic examination of other myxinoids will yield 

 a similar result, although it cannot be denied that some spawning may occur all the year 

 around. In H. stouti there is also evidence that the greater number of females deposit their 

 eggs at nearly the same time. 



