198 'Journal of Comparative Neurology and Psychology. 



male is merely guarding his own food-supply: the origin of the brooding habit in this 

 case seems to be the feeding habit. The eggs hatch about six weeks after fertiliza- 

 tion. The newly hatced larva is about 25 mm. long, and has a large yolk sac. 

 Larvae kept in the laboratory for two months after hatching retain a remnant of the 

 yolk sac, and refuse food. Year-old larvae are 6-7 cm. long, and retain the external 

 gills. Larvae two years old are about 12 cm. long and the external gills are greatly 

 reduced. Sexual maturity is attained with a length of about 34 cm. and probably 

 requires three or four years. 



Movement and Problem Solving in Ophiura brevispina. By O. C. Glaser, 

 University of Michigan. 



1. Ophiura brevispina moves in practically all of the ways possible to a pen- 

 taradiate animal. 



2. Its behavior in removing obstructions from its arms is not perfected by 

 practice under ordinary conditions. 



3. Preyer's conclusion that Ophiurans are intelligent is not substantiated by 

 this study; for not only is it impossible to demonstrate "resolution" or improve- 

 ment, by the method that he employed, but the assertion that an animal is intelligent 

 because when stimulated it performs varied movements until some one of these 

 brings about cessation of the stimulus, leads into difficulties, for these animals 

 often perform in instantaneous succession movements that fail for the same reason. 

 Ophiura, moreover, hardly ever executes a single movement, but usually a consider- 

 able number. Each of these on Preyer's view results in learning, but it is impossi- 

 ble without striking evidence to the contrary, to believe that Ophiurans can learn 

 half a dozen things at the same time. If some of all the movements performed at a 

 certain instant are "correct," the case is farther complicated in that some of all the 

 things which the animal learned fall into the category of successes, some into the 

 category of failures. 



4. The reason why Ophiura brevispina does not improve under ordinary cir- 

 cumstances is probably due to its versatility. This animal can perform a sur- 

 prising number of movements. Of all these some are better fitted to meet a cer- 

 tain difficulty than others, but a considerable number will serve the purpose. 

 Where the number of solutions to a problem is large, it is not surprising that no 

 particular method of solution shall be perfected, viz., that resolution should not 

 occur. 



Notes on the Behavior of Sea-Anemones. By Chas. W. Hargitt, Syracuse 



University. 



The paper discussed the aspects of behavior of several species of sea-anemones 

 studied both under natural conditions and those of the laboratory. The points 

 chiefly under observation had reference to the behavior of these creatures under the 

 influence of light. So far as known few details along this line have been recorded. 



At least three species of anemones were found which showed very evident 

 reactions to photic stimuli: namely, Eloactis (Halcampa) producta, Sagartia 

 modesta, and S. leucolena. Of these two are tube-dwelling, burrowing in the 

 sand near tide lines, and forming rude tubes or burrows through the adhesive 

 secretions of the ectoderm. S. leucolena is occasionally found in similar habitat, 

 though chiefly adhering to rocks or among colonies of ascidians, or sponges, on 

 piles of docks, etc. Experiments showed that the first two species are most sharply 



