Oii.-ida [.ah- I-islus 2>iT 



this part i>f llic nvii ami in shalluw water not over two fitt <liq). The nests 

 were shallow depressions from alniut i^ to 30 inches in diameter. The following 

 account of the nests and the spawning is given: "The actual process of laying 

 was watched a numher of times. The two animals concerned cease carrying 

 stones and take up a jx^sition with their heads at the u])per edge of the nest : this 

 is achieved in rnie of two ways: either hoth attach themselves to the large stone 

 already mentioned, or the female alone takes this position, the male clinging to 

 the top of her head; at once after this the jxisterior halves of their luKlics twist 

 together for ahout a complete turn and simultaneously make very rapid flapping 

 movements, so fast, indeed, as to he almost vihrations. During this process, which 

 lasts only a few seconds, eggs mav he seen pouring from the female as a numlier 

 of small white specks, which become mixed with the very small stones and sand 

 stirred up hy the agitation of the parents' hodies. .\s soon as this movenjent ceases 

 eggs and sand together settle down at the bottom of the nest. The male and the 

 female then separate and resume their stone-hauling, often moving stones from 

 points a foot outside the nests and ])lacing them on the jiarapet. hut after a few 

 minutes the laying process is reiieatcd : how often this interruption and resumption 

 of laying may occur was not determined, hut certainly as many as four times. 



"In the large nest already mentioned as being the work of four animals one and 

 the same male was seen to jjair with each of two females, eggs from different 

 mothers being mi.ved in the nest. 



"The eggs when they are first laid stick so firmly to stones that any attempt to 

 detach them usually destroys them: after alxmt fifteen minutes, however, they 

 do not adhere at all so closely aiul may be washed off with a gentle stream of 

 water from a pipette; in the course of a day or two they lie loose among the 

 IK-bbles. 



"During the period over which nesting was watched the temperature of the 

 water varied from 18° C. on June 4th. to .'3° (.". on June Jist and J7th. the 

 temiH-rature lieing taken U-twcen 8 and <> o'clock .\. M.. standard time. 



"The nesting season lastefl api)roximately a month." 



.\t t onstanlia. .Mr. Dan Miller. I'oreman of the Oneida ."^tate liatclury. pre- 

 sented us on .'^eptemlwr (j. M713, with five s|)ecimens (Collection No. 140) of larval 

 lampreys which he had gathered for liait from the stripping i>ond east of the 

 stripping house on I'Vederick Creek. They swam alwiut in the thin mud with 

 great s|K'e<l, and the larger ones looke<l like large earthworm- or "night crawlers." 

 Whether these larvae are Urook Lampreys {l:iilosf<lnuiis nfl^riuli.x) or I^nke 

 I.ampreys is not known, as the larval forms are indistinguishalile (Tiage. '1)3. 

 p. 4J<») ( )ur largest s]H'cimen is almut 4 inches ( 105 nun) long, with eyes In-gin- 

 ning to devcloj), and hence it must have U-en nearlv ready to transform. The 

 smallest siK-cimcn was I'ii inches long. 



I'oreman .^criba found large ni»nlH-rs of lamprey larvae in the muddy ln'tiom 

 of the same jMind from which our s|K'cimens came .^cril>a's statement ( Hean, 

 'o<). p iS'i) is as follows: "The lamprey eels come uji the streams here in June 

 to spawn, and we caught and deslroyet! over 300 in Frederick (."reek l>etwiH-n the 

 stripping-house and the hatchery: a little later we drew the water out of the 

 strip|)ing-hou>e |Mincl and the nnul on the Ixittom of the i»ond was a living mass ,if 



