ciiiKMi which lie kept ;ili\(' [uy some time, P>KSTR<").M 

 writes: '"When the lish left oil' swiiiiuiiii.L;' .•ilxnit in tlic 

 vessel ill which it w;is kept, it .-ittiiched itself to the 

 bottom, ;iii(l drew the c<impresve(l pnrt of the liody 

 tightly up to the left side, thus ,ic(|iiii'iii,ii', when still, 

 an almost spherical form." This specimen was a female 

 1?)0 mm. lon^', which at the beginning of May con- 

 tained running roe, "of a light carmine colour," the 

 eggs being slightly more llian 1 millimetre in diameter. 

 In April, ISl'.l, in r>ravik, Mr. G. von Viilkx took 

 another female, in which the development of the eggs 

 was equally far advanced. These instances give us an 

 approximate indication of the spawning-season in more 

 northern localities, when we remember that Sahs, as 



Sl.lMV SKA-SNAir. 



291 



we ha\(' mentioned al)ovr', found y(jung specimens up 

 to 1.") mm. in length, swimming at the surface in Va- 

 raiiger Fjoi'd, during the month of July. 



CoLLETT found the lood of the Common Sea-Snail 

 t(» consist of small crustaceans and worms; Lill-ieborg 

 also found small shell-fish (Ilissoa) in its stomach. 

 According to h^AUKicii's the fry of other fishes and sea- 

 weed also form a part of its diet. It is of no greater 

 economical importance to man than the ])receding species, 

 even if it be eatable in case of need, according to the 

 account of Fabuicius", the triitii of which is, however, 

 denied by Kicuaud.son'', of its employment among the 

 (ireenlanders. 



THE SLIMY SEA-SNAIL. 

 CYCLOGASTER GELATINOSUS. 



Fig. 7:5. 



Distance hefircoi flic rent (uitl the tip of the siiaiit Jess than '/^ of the length of the Jiodij. Distance between the 

 anal Jin and the vent more than '/g of that between the former and the tip of the snout. Only one nostril on 

 each side, Just in front of the ei/e. Just above the middle of the latter or at its anterior upper corner. Hays of 

 the dorsal fin from '>() to ~>'>, of the anal fin from 44 to 48; both these fins posteriorly united to the caudal fin 

 almost irittioiit viriiblc division. Least depth of the tail about :i % of the length of the base of the anal fin, irhich 

 is more than ^ ., the length of the body. Length of the caudal fin less than Vs '/'«' of the head. Teeth in the 

 cards of the mouth simple. Disk formed by the ventral fins equal in size to the eyes or slightlv larger; the 

 longitudinal diameter of the latter (in specimens about 60 mm. long) being about 6 or 7 % of the length of 

 the body, from 27 to 3.3 % of the length of the head, or aliout ^1^ of the breadth of the interorbital space as 

 far as this is covered by the skin. Snout blunt; its length about equal to that of the ventral disk. Length of 

 the pectoral fins from the upper angle about 16 % of that of the body or 70 % of that of the head. Di.stance 

 from the tip of the snout to the dorsal fin from about 24 to 28 % of the length of the bodv, to the ventral 

 disk 11 or 12 %, and to the anal fin from about 32 to 3.') %. Body flabby, very slimy, partly transparent and 

 of a yellowish or reddish colour, thinly punctated witii dark brown, chieflv on the dorsal side. 



Fig. 7.-5. Cyclogagter gelatiiiosus, natural size, lakpii in tlie Skager Rack lnUveen Areudal and tlie Skaw at a deptli of 350 — 370 fathoms, 



in .Iiilv, 1870. ThSki. and FoRSSTRAND. 



B. br. t;; D. oQ — ;J5; A. 44—48; P. :52~33: V. 0; i .!>>«. Cydoptenis gelatinosuf, Pall., Spicil. ZooL. fasc. VII, p. 19, 

 C. .i + lO+.r; Vert. 60— U4. tat-. Ill, figg. 1— G; Id., Zoogr. Ross. As., vol. Ill, p. 74: 



" "Editur coctus cum ovariis siiis inter scorpios," Fn. Gr.. p. 137. 

 *" Fn. Boi: Amei:. part. Ill, p. 204. 



