340 GILMAN A. DREW 
the female already mentioned that deposited twenty-three strings. 
She was in a rather large aquarium with a number of other squid. 
Copulation had occurred several times but this particular squid, . 
which had been under observation some hours, had not been seen 
to copulate. Dissection later showed that there were no sperm 
reservoirs attached in her mantle chamber. Because of disturb- 
ance she upon six occasions failed to get the egg string between 
her arms. When she reached for the string with her dorsal arms 
she was each time disturbed so she dropped the string and ejected 
it directly into the water. Four of these strings were recovered 
as quickly as possible after they were dropped, and placed in dishes 
of fresh sea-water where the proportion of fertilized eggs could 
be determined. From 40 to 50 per cent of the eggs in the strings 
developed. More than 99 per cent of the eggs in strings that had 
been held between the arms and then placed in similar dishes 
developed. As already mentioned there had been copulation 
among other squid in the aquarium and as the reservoirs were 
attached in the mantle chambers there must have been many 
free sperm in the water of the aquarium. It seems probable that 
enough of these sperm reached the strings that were dropped, be- 
fore they could be removed from the aquarium, to fertilize a por- 
tion of the eggs. Microscopic examination of these strings imme- 
diately after they were dropped revealed very few sperm, but the 
strings that were held between the arms were swarming with them. 
Sperm were able to penetrate and move actively about in the soft 
jelly of a recently formed string, but the jelly soon hardened so 
fresh sperm brought in contact with it were not able to work their 
way in. 
A curious bit of habit reflex was exhibited by this squid each 
time she dropped a string of eggs. Immediately after the dis- 
turbance she took the attitude she would normally have taken had 
the egg string been successfully lodged between the arms. The 
arms were held in the form of a cone, the tips were twisted together 
and she passed on through each of the succeeding phases even to 
drawing down tight against an object as if to attach the egg string 
that had never been between the arms. After this she rested until 
the next string was formed, but she never interrupted the orderly 
