NO. 1431. BREEDING HABITS AND EGG OF PIPEFISH— GUDGER. 463 



terior rog-ion, at a point about two-thirds of the way from the anus to 

 the caudal; and at the anal openings. The anal papilla, or the pro- 

 truding oviduct of the female, is, at the moment of contact of their 

 bodies, thrust into the buttonhole-shaped opening at the anterior end 

 of the marsupium. Some eggs, in num))er a dozen or more, now pass 

 into the pouch and are presumably fertilized at this moment. 



The Q^^g^ are now in the anterior end of the pouch and no more can 

 be received until these have been gotten into the posterior end. To 

 bring this about, the male performs some very curious movements. 

 He stands nearly verticallj", and, resting his caudal tin and a small part 

 of the tail on the floor of the aquarium, bends l)ackward and forward 

 and twists his bod}^ spirally from above downward. This is repeated 

 until the eggs have l)een moved into the posterior end of the pouch. 

 I do not think that any means other than the above are used to bring 



Fig. 1.— Transp'Er of eggs in siphostoma (semi-diagrammatic), a, Position of fishes during 



TRANSFER OF EGGS: b, ATTITUDE ASSUMED BY MALE WHILE MOVING THE EGGS BACKWARD IN THE 

 pouch: C, POSITION OF MALE DURING PERIOD OF REST FOLLOWING SEVERAL TRANSFERS. 



this about. The pouch in a '•pithed'" lish was opened and carmine 

 scattered over its inner surface, but there was no evidence of ciliary 

 action. Sections from pieces of both dorsal and vena-al parts of the 

 sac killed in formalin, in Flemming's or in Worcester's fluids, failed 

 to show cilia. 



Then for some time the animals remain quiescent, the male with the 

 back concave, assuming the form of a broad flat capital U. The head 

 is extended in a nearly horizontal direction, and the body in the region 

 of the middle of the tail touches the floor of the aquarium. This posi- 

 tion is retained for a time varying from five to ten minutes. Convul- 

 sive movements, lasting only for a moment, may take place. 



The processes above described are repeated until the pouch is filled. 

 In one pair the first copulation took place at 9.45 o'clock and the 

 second at 10.05 o'clock. In another pair there were four contacts, as 

 follows: 10,15; 10.34; lo.oO o'clock, at which time the eggs were onh^ 



