26 BERTRAM G. SMITH. 



gathering the scattered eggs, another hellbender appeared on the 

 scene and attempted to devour them. 



As previously stated, the eggs were in the first and second 

 cleavage stages, and appeared to represent a single spawning. 

 This was the first nest found during the season, and no other 

 nest was found near it. 



In the majority of nests found containing eggs in an early stage 

 of development a male was present, a female never. In one case 

 a male was found in a nest containing embryos two or three 

 weeks old ; but there is no certainty that he had remained there 

 continuously during that time, or that the embryos were his own 

 offspring. 



The number of eggs found in the stomach of a single Crypto- 

 branchus usually ranges from 15 to 25 ; in a few cases this num- 

 ber was considerably exceeded. The digestive processes of the 

 hellbender are extremely slow, and I have taken undigested eggs 

 from the stomach a week after they were eaten. 



So far as observed, only recently laid eggs were eaten by the 

 adults. After eggs have been laid several days they are rendered 

 inconspicuous by a covering of silt. 



As previously stated, the number of eggs usually deposited in 

 a single nest is about 450 to 500. Nests found late in the season, 

 with eggs in an advanced stage of development, contained nearly 

 the full number of eggs ; probably not more than a tenth part, 

 in most cases, had been eaten. 



We have here the beginning of a paternal brooding habit, but 

 only the beginning. A male in making a valiant defense of the 

 nest protects the eggs, to be sure, but at the same time he guards 

 his own food supply. Thus in the case of Cryptobranchns the 

 brooding habit may have its origin in the feeding habit. On 

 account of the slowness of his digestive processes, and the short 

 period during which, it appears, the eggs are available as food, 

 the male hellbender alone is unable to eat more than a small por- 

 tion of the eggs. The habit of defending the eggs during the 

 early stages of their development is presumably, even though 

 some of them are eaten, of advantage to the species ; and this 

 guarding habit may be initiated in connection with the feeding 

 instinct. 



