AMERICAN PARASITIC ARGULID.E— WILSON. 



655 



indicate a breeding season early in the year, corresponding- to that of 

 catostomi. 



5. Females of the following species, full of eggs that appeared to 

 be perfectly ripe, have been taken at Woods Hole at the dates given 

 and are now in the collection of the National Museum: ^-1. megalopi<^ 

 August 31, September 1, October 14, October 30, November 21; 

 ^1. hdicauda^ August l-t. August, October 20. 28, 30; A. alo-sm, 

 August 13, September 24 and 27, October 5. 



(). From a knowledge of the breeding habits which have just been 

 given, the capture of males swimming about freely at the surface or 

 isolated upon fish which the}^ do not infest at other seasons in the 

 vear furnishes corroborative tes- 

 timon}^ to the breeding seasons. 

 Of such we find the following: 

 ^1. megalojjs^ male, from surface, 

 Juh^ 8; two males from surface, 

 August 31; one from a Minnow, 

 July 14; one from Sea Robin, 

 August 'I'i^. A. laticauda^ one 

 from among algt\?, August; one 

 from Tom Cod, October 20; four 

 from Skate, October 19; one 

 from Bonnet Skate, August 9. 



The cumulative evidence thus 

 adduced makes it practically 

 certain that the salt-water forms, 

 at least, have three breeding- 

 seasons in the year, correspond- 

 ing to those given h\ Glaus for 

 A. foUacem. It would not be 

 expected, of course, that the 

 actual dates would correspond 

 exactly. 



The place chosen for Qgg deposition is usually a stone or other hard 

 material, the glpss sides in an aquarium being usuall}^ selected. 

 Van Beneden writes (1883) that "la mere, au lieu de porter sa progen- 

 iture dans un sac qu'elle traine avec elle, la confie successivement a 

 Tun ou Tautre poisson, comme la coucou qui depose des oeufs dans le 

 nid d'un bee-fin, et le jeune Arguie, en naissant, jouit de toute sa 

 liberte.'" 



Jurine (180G), whose observ^^ations on the other habits of these para- 

 sites are so admira])le, expressly says that he has never found any 

 eggs upon the fish Avhich serve as hosts for A. foliacem, and his 

 testimony has been corroborated by every one of the long list of col- 

 lectors since his day, except Van Beneden (1891). 



Fig. 1.— a single cluster of the eggs of Argulcs 

 CATOSTOMI. Actual size of one egg 0.45 by O.c 



.MM. 



