﻿CIX 
  

  

  that 
  each 
  egg 
  whicli 
  floats 
  out 
  into 
  the 
  ocean 
  to 
  shift 
  

   for 
  itself 
  will 
  immediately 
  meet 
  with 
  a 
  male 
  cell 
  is 
  very 
  

   slight, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  essestial 
  that 
  the 
  egg 
  should 
  be 
  fertil- 
  

   ized 
  very 
  quickly, 
  for 
  the 
  unfertilized 
  egg 
  is 
  destroyed 
  

   by 
  the 
  sea 
  water 
  in 
  a 
  very 
  short 
  time. 
  The 
  next 
  period 
  

   of 
  great 
  danger 
  is 
  the 
  short 
  time 
  during 
  which 
  the 
  

   embryos 
  swarm 
  to 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  water. 
  They 
  are 
  

   so 
  perfectly 
  defenceless, 
  and 
  so 
  crowded 
  together 
  close 
  

   to 
  the 
  surface, 
  that 
  a 
  small 
  tish, 
  swimming 
  along 
  with 
  

   open 
  mouth, 
  might 
  easily 
  swallow 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  mouthfulls 
  

   a 
  number 
  equal 
  to 
  the 
  human 
  poi)ulation 
  of 
  Baltimore. 
  

   They 
  are 
  also 
  exi30sed 
  to 
  sudden 
  changes 
  of 
  tempera- 
  

   ture, 
  and 
  as 
  my 
  experiments 
  have 
  shown 
  that 
  a 
  sudden 
  

   fall 
  in 
  temperature 
  is 
  fatal 
  to 
  them 
  at 
  this 
  time, 
  the 
  

   number 
  which 
  are 
  destroyed 
  by 
  cold 
  rains 
  and 
  winds 
  

   must 
  be 
  very 
  great 
  indeed. 
  

  

  " 
  As 
  soon 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  safely 
  past 
  this 
  stage, 
  and 
  scatter 
  

   and 
  swim 
  at 
  various 
  depths, 
  their 
  danger 
  from 
  accidents 
  

   and 
  enemies 
  is 
  greatly 
  diminished, 
  and 
  their 
  chance 
  of 
  

   reaching 
  maturity 
  increases 
  hundreds, 
  and 
  probably 
  

   thousands 
  of 
  times. 
  

  

  "My 
  experiments 
  show 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  difficulty 
  in 
  

   developing 
  them 
  up 
  to 
  this 
  point 
  in 
  the 
  house 
  in 
  small 
  

   aquaria, 
  and 
  in 
  carrying 
  them 
  safely 
  past 
  the 
  most 
  

   precarious 
  part 
  of 
  their 
  lives, 
  and 
  freeing 
  them 
  from 
  

   all 
  their 
  greatest 
  dangers." 
  

   The 
  importance 
  of 
  carrying 
  the 
  investigations 
  beyond 
  

   the 
  point 
  reached 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Brooks, 
  induced 
  me 
  to 
  secure 
  

   the 
  services 
  of 
  Professor 
  John 
  A. 
  Ryder, 
  of 
  the 
  Phila- 
  

   delphia 
  Academy 
  of 
  Sciences, 
  and 
  having 
  provided 
  quite 
  

   an 
  assortment 
  of 
  collectors, 
  I 
  stationed 
  him 
  in 
  the 
  month 
  

   of 
  July 
  at 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  south 
  fork 
  of 
  St. 
  Jerome's 
  

   Creek, 
  in 
  St. 
  Mary's 
  County. 
  This 
  creek 
  flows 
  into 
  the 
  

   Chesapeake 
  a 
  few 
  ndles 
  north 
  of 
  Point 
  Looktmt. 
  

  

  Having 
  secured 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  ponds, 
  formed 
  by 
  a 
  prong 
  

   of 
  this 
  creek, 
  it 
  was 
  my 
  intention 
  to 
  arrange 
  them 
  

   so 
  as 
  thoroughly 
  to 
  control 
  the 
  elib 
  and 
  flow 
  of 
  the 
  tide 
  

  

  