86 



Dr. Grant communicated tlie following extraci from a letter 

 M'hich he liad received from Dr. Coldstream, of Edinburgb : — 



" Torquay, (Devon,) Nov. 10, 1832.— Today I examined the 

 ova of Sepia officinalis. A group of eighteen \vas attached (each by 

 a ring formed of its semigelatinous coats) to a leaf of Zostera marina. 

 Tliey vvere of an elongated oval shape, about 1 inch in length and 

 ^Vhs in breadth ; colour black, shining ; consistence soft. Tunics 

 of the ovum very numerous, of various thickness, arranged concen- 

 trically. \Vlien these tunics vvere removed in succession until the 

 ovum became transparent, I savv distinctly the contained fcetus and 

 its yelk within the inner coat. 1 could see it movė and respire. 

 When the egg vvas gently pressed, it moved briskly. I succeeded in 

 getting the inner membrane with the contained foetus out of the 

 egg entire. I kept one in this statė in sea-water for many hours, 

 at the end of vvhich time no change had taken place. Others I 

 opened, and let out the foetus ; at first preserving it in its o\vn fluid. 

 Its only evident motion was that of respiration performed nithmore 

 or less activity, according to the degree of disturbance given to it. 

 When at ręst, the respirations were thirty tuo per minute. The sac 

 was diiated, and the funnei raised as in the adult ; and from the 

 transparency of the mantie, I could see plainiy the motions of the 

 lateral vaives. The surface \vas marked \vith several spots ; pro- 

 portionally, not so numerous as in the adult. These seemed to me 

 to become larger after the removal from the egg ; but I saw no con- 

 traction and dilatation similar to what occurs in the adult. The 

 yelkat first adhered to thefront of the body, being placed between 

 the arms ; but I could not see hovv it was attached. In a short time 

 it dropped olf. It seemed to consist of a very thin membrane, in- 

 closing a homogeneous transparent jelly. The lateral fin \vas broad, 

 and, when the animal moved, had nuich wavy motion. When 

 touched, before the yelk separated, the sac vvas contracted, raised, 

 and a sharp expiration took place. The šame, after separation of 

 the yelk, vvas sufficient to make the animal movė backvvards a short 

 distance. \Vhen salt-vvater vvas mixed vvith the fluid in vvhich the 

 fcetus floated, the animal, at first, appeared uneasy, drevv its mantie 

 over its eyes, and brealhed quickly. This agitation, hovvever, soon 

 subsided, and there seemed to be additional vigour imparted. 

 Vievved ventrally, the ink bag's silvery coats vvere seen shining 

 through the mantie; and vvhen the animal vvas touched, it tvvice or 

 thrice ejected minute streams of ink. VVhole length of the fcetus 

 ,Vths of an inch. The eyes vvere very large proportionally. The 

 suckers on the arms appeared only as minute tubercles. The shape 

 of the yelk vvas nearly spherical ; diameter about i'oths of an inch. 



" Nov. 12. — The fcetus taken out of its egg on the ICth instant 

 vvas, on the šame evening, put into salt vvater, vvhich happened to 

 be muddy ; it continued to respire, and appeared vvell all the even- 

 ing ; but aftervvards its sac contracted so as to allo\v the lateral 

 vaives to be seen outside, and it vvas languid : next morning it vvas 

 dead. Today I dissected it. The shell vvas found loosely imbedded 

 in the mantlu. lt was T^oths of an inch in length ; vvhitc; in shape 



