﻿85 
  

  

  knobbed 
  at 
  each 
  end. 
  Nereids 
  were 
  conmion, 
  of 
  moder- 
  

   ate 
  size, 
  and 
  an 
  exceedingly 
  slender 
  Olic/ochaetou.s 
  worm, 
  

   bright 
  red 
  in 
  color, 
  was 
  dug 
  up 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  sand, 
  several 
  

   inches 
  below 
  the 
  surface. 
  Planarians 
  were 
  quite 
  fre- 
  

   quently 
  noticed 
  ci'eeping 
  over 
  the 
  surfaces 
  of 
  the 
  slate 
  

   collectors. 
  

  

  Amongst 
  the 
  lamellibranchiates 
  noticed 
  as 
  inhabiting 
  

   St. 
  Jerome's 
  creek, 
  l)esides 
  the 
  oyster, 
  was 
  a 
  very 
  destruc- 
  

   tive 
  boring 
  mollusk 
  related 
  to 
  the 
  tiue 
  ship-worm, 
  but 
  

   generally 
  considered 
  to 
  represent 
  anotlier 
  genus, 
  X//I0- 
  

   trya 
  fimbriata. 
  So 
  rapidly 
  does 
  this 
  creature 
  bore 
  into 
  

   wood 
  immersed 
  in 
  the 
  sea 
  that 
  a 
  small 
  pine 
  hatching-box 
  

   which 
  I 
  had 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  tide-way 
  to 
  retain 
  impregnated 
  

   oyster-eggs, 
  was 
  almost 
  destroyed 
  in 
  the 
  short 
  space 
  of 
  

   51 
  days. 
  This 
  mollusk 
  is 
  f(mnd 
  at 
  work 
  at 
  the 
  heads 
  of 
  

   the 
  creeks, 
  where 
  the 
  water 
  is 
  sometimes 
  sliglitly 
  brack- 
  

   ish, 
  just 
  as 
  industriously 
  as 
  elsewhere. 
  The 
  ova, 
  which, 
  

   according 
  to 
  my 
  observations, 
  are 
  almost 
  identically 
  of 
  

   the 
  same 
  appearance 
  and 
  size 
  as 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  oyster 
  and 
  

   soft-shelled 
  clam, 
  are 
  produced 
  h\ 
  the 
  animals 
  in 
  vast 
  

   numbers 
  and 
  set 
  free 
  into 
  the 
  surrounding 
  water, 
  where 
  

   they 
  are 
  apparently 
  fertilized 
  by 
  contact 
  with 
  the 
  male 
  

   cells 
  set 
  free 
  by 
  the 
  males. 
  The 
  endjryos 
  develop 
  rapidly, 
  

   swim 
  about 
  and 
  soon 
  find 
  a 
  place 
  to 
  fix 
  themselves 
  on 
  

   some 
  piece 
  of 
  wood 
  in 
  great 
  numbers, 
  when 
  the 
  Avorkof 
  

   destruction 
  begins. 
  These 
  animals, 
  in 
  the 
  creeks 
  and 
  

   inlets 
  of 
  the 
  Chesapeake, 
  will 
  no 
  doubt 
  cause 
  considerable 
  

   trouble 
  to 
  oyster-culturists 
  in 
  destroying 
  the 
  lumbei- 
  used 
  

   in 
  making 
  the 
  collectors, 
  nurseries 
  and 
  othei- 
  apparatus 
  

   used 
  in 
  conducting 
  such 
  work. 
  

  

  Solecurhis 
  gibbus 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  sandy 
  fiats 
  along 
  with 
  

   aspeciesof 
  the 
  TeUin.idae. 
  where 
  t\\k^ 
  Mya 
  arena 
  ria 
  'a\^o 
  

   abounds, 
  which 
  is 
  used 
  extensively 
  as 
  bait 
  for 
  taking 
  the 
  

   sheep's-head. 
  The 
  spawning 
  season 
  of 
  the 
  .Vy 
  is 
  short, 
  

   and 
  begins 
  iu 
  the 
  early 
  i)art 
  of 
  Septend)er 
  and 
  lasts 
  until 
  

   the 
  first 
  or 
  second 
  week 
  of 
  October. 
  Dui-ing 
  S('j)tember 
  

   the 
  large 
  visceral 
  mass 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  fhe 
  shell 
  cavity 
  

  

  