Mr. F. S. Conant on the Cubomedus93. 31 



secured on the 7th November, whicli ate 18 frogs, cast its 

 skin on the 7th December, 1896, 13th January and 27th 

 February, 1897. 



" Tree-snake {Dendrophis pi'ctus) ate 94 frogs up to 21st 

 January, and died on the 22nd January. Oast its skin on the 

 2nd April, 6th May, 28th June, 27th July, and 29tli October. 

 A second specimen was procured on the 13th February, which 

 ate 18 frogs. 



"Russell's viper (Vipera Russellit) , yonnc^, ate 67 mice, 

 2 small rats, 5 squirrels, and 4 frogs. Cast its skin on the 

 16th June, 31st July, 6th October, and 27th December, 

 1896. 



"Russell's viper (Vipera RusseUii) ate 27 rats and 5 

 squirrels. Cast its skin only once, t. e. 17th November, 

 1896. 



^' Echis carinata. — Two specimens were exhibited on the 

 29tli October, and have up to date eaten only 8 frogs. 



" The two aquatic snakes added were Tropidonotus 

 quincunciatus d.n([ Atretium schistosum ; the latter is called 

 in Tamil ' Neer nagan,' i. e. water cobra, from its power of 

 dilating its head. Both the snakes eat frogs and fishes. 

 Tropidonotus laid 36 eggs on the 26th February, 1897." 



VI. — Notes on the Cubomedusas. 

 ByF. S. CONANT*. 



In June and July of 1896, while the Marine Biological 

 Laboratory was stationed at Port Henderson, in Kingston 

 Harbour, Jamaica, two species of Cubomedusse were found in 

 unexpected abundance. Of these one was very much like 

 the Charyhdea marsupialis of the Mediterranean, the other 

 presented characteristics midway between those of the Charyb- 

 deidee and the Chirodropidte — the two families into which 

 Hgeckel divides the Cubomedusse — so that for it I have erected 

 a new family under the name of the Tripedalidte. The names 

 that have been chosen for the two Jamaica forms are Cha- 

 ryhdea xaymacana and Tripedalia cystophora. 



A. — Systematic. 



Hffickel's classification, as given in his ' System der 

 Medusen,' is as follows : — 



* From the ' Johns Hopkins University Cu-culars,' November 1807, 

 pp. 8-10. 



