INLAND FISHERIES. 47 



During tlie first four days of June, starfish from many localities 

 in the upper portion of the Bay were examined on board the 

 launch " Sagitta," engaged by the United States Fish Commis- 

 sion. The stars were, almost without exception, full of very ripe 

 eggs and sperm, which were easily shaken loose in the water. 

 Small specimens, measuring, in many instances, only an inch and 

 a quarter, were fully ripe."^-' 



The height of the spawning season occurred between this date, 

 June 4, and June IG. From June 16 to June 28 the starfish ex- 

 amined in many localities, especially at Kickemuit and Kocky 

 Point, had extruded most of their eggs, or sperm, but in some 

 specimens the ripe spaAvn was found in one of the arms, or merely 

 in the base of the arms, as though not quite all had been extruded. 

 Specimens in which some ripe products were left were more fre- 

 quent on the 16th than on the 21st, 22d, and 28th of the month, 

 which indicates that the spawniog season was rapidly drawing to 

 a close. 



Starfish examined in July, and occasionally during the rest of 

 the summer, yielded the same results as those examined at the 

 same season in 1897 ; most of the specimens had very small sexual 

 glands, but some were found with products apparently ripe. 



Young Stars. On the 22d of June, I searched carefully on the 

 sea-weed and ell-grass in Kickemuit river for very young stars ; 

 not a single young star (under ^ inch or more) could be found. 



A week later, on the 29th of June, another careful search was 

 made in the same locality, when I found countless numbers of 

 very minute starfish, most of them about the size of the head of a 

 pin. They were clinging by the dozen to every spear of ell-grass, 

 and scattered diffusely through the branches of fiufly sea-weed, 

 Avhich is abundant in this locality. The larger of these little stars 

 was probably not more than a few days old (since time of setting) 

 as I afterward determined by watching the growth of those whose 

 exact time of setting was known. Doubtless, therefore, the small 



* See Chapter on " age and size at sexual maturity." 



