ORTMANN : THE CFJAWFISHES OF THE STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA 471 



eggs every time I collected this species during this period. This rather precisely 

 fixes the time when the females are '"in berry." They carry eggs during the 

 months of April and May, hut at no other time of the year, and during this season 

 all females, with few exceptions, no matter whether they are large or small, have 

 eggs. The smallest observed with eggs was 40 mm. long. Of couree in the begin- 

 ning of the spawning season larger females may also be without eggs, but later on 

 females larger than 40 mm. long are only very rareh' found without them. The 

 latter generally are newly moulted (having soft or clean shells), showing clearly 

 that at the beginning of the spawning season the}' were very likely below the mini- 

 mum size for spawning. Of the few females under 40 mm. long none had eggs. 



During the spawning season (April and May) a general tendency toward moult- 

 ing is observed in all specimens which are not females "in berry." Among the 

 sterile females, as well as among the males, the old, dirty shells disappear; newly 

 moulted shells become more and more frequent, and soft shells are frequently 

 observed. This moulting process in most individuals takes place in the first half of 

 May, but, as we have seen, some individuals begin as early as March, and in others 

 the process is delayed till the beginning of June. But by this time all specimens 

 have moulted under normal conditions, witii the exception of the fertile females, 

 wliicli iiioiilt after the young are hatched in June. 



A remarkable fact in the Ciise of the males is that this spring moult invariably 

 changes them to the second form.'"'' In consequence males of the fii-st form become 

 scarcer and scarcer, till finally at the beginning of June all have disappeared and 

 onl}' males of the .second form are left. Another remarkable fact is that after the 

 end of the moulting season in spring no very large males are found. While large 

 males of the first form of over 70 and 80 mm. m length are quite abundant in March, 

 April, and the fn.st half of May, they become very rare after that time, and the 

 males of the second foru), which arc then abundant, only in rare instances exceed 

 the size of 70 mm. in Kngtli, (only two cases on record). During the summer tlie 

 males are generally less than 70 mm. in length. Large males reappt-ar after the 

 summer and fall moults begin, and then they are again of the fii-st form. 



The question arises what becomes of the large males (over 70 mm. in length), 

 which are rather frequent in spring. Acconling to the records, we cannot a.ssume 

 that they moult into the second form, for we should then lind large males of the 

 second form in summer. Thus it is suggested that the.se large males die ami disjip- 

 pear. Of this I have found positive evidence in two cases. On .hnie H, 1;mI4, I col- 

 leeted in the Shenango River at Linesville, < 'rawford County, a large male of the first 



"This cliange was first observed by Faxon (18Sl<i, p. 12) in CamUirus ruflicun Girard. 



