408 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY. 
stage in the near neighborhood, as the Sarsia and Bougainvillea un- — 
doubtedly did. And in the case of the Staurophora this is especially 
important, because this Medusa has often been classed as an Arctic 
form. As a matter of fact, however, the available data show that it 
is a constant inhabitant of the Gulf of Maine. On May 17th, several 
specimens about two inches in diameter were taken; and I have seen 
it adult in Massachusetts Bay at the beginning of June. 
Other animals, the young of which occurred in notable numbers 
were crabs (Cancer) as noted above, and especially the common 
barnacle (Balanus). In the case of the latter, the whole reproductive 
period was covered by the hauls near Boon Island and the Isles of 
Shoals, for its eggs were taken in large numbers on March 29th and 
April 4th off Boon Island, the nauplii at the same locality April 5th. 
By the 9th, the nets yielded large numbers of the “ Cypris” stage with 
a few nauplii, and by the 19th, Cyprids only were taken. These 
reached their maximum abundance April 25th to 30th, when they 
formed the bulk of the macroplankton, from which time onward they 
diminished, though they were constantly present in smal! numbers 
until the middle of May, when they had practically disappeared. 
The most interesting feature of the spring macroplankton, from 
the fisheries standpoint, was the sudden appearance of great swarms 
of the schizopod Thysanoessa raschi. A few specimens were taken 
in the nets on April 22, and on the 23d, when none chanced to be caught 
Mr. Welsh noted the “pollack schools feeding on shrimps which were 
also in dense schools,” near the Isles of Shoals. On the 25th many 
were taken off Boon Island, and Mr. Welsh noted “the feed (shrimps) 
breaking water trying to get away from the pollack which are after 
them. The feed occurs in dense swarms, apparently 6 inches to a 
foot below the surface.” Evidently they were an important food for 
surface-schooling fish. Early in May they were no longer in schools 
though from this time on occasional specimens were taken; and they 
again appeared in considerable numbers in the hauls near the Isles 
of Shoals on the 12th and 18th. 
Mr. Welsh’s work covered the spawning period of the haddock, 
and several of the hauls yielded great numbers of eggs, notably on 
April 23 (Station 17), May 6 (Station 25). 
