Dkcembeb 16, 1898.] 



SCIENCE. 



855 



Vermes. — The breeding season of Lepido- 

 notus and Harmothoe has passed. The eggs 

 of Sthenelais ma}' be artificially fertilized, 

 and ripe individuals have been taken dur- 

 ing the middle and latter part of August. 

 Podarke obscura begins to oviposit about 

 July 1. Dr. A. L. Tread well has suc- 

 ceeded in artificially fertilizing the eggs by 

 keeping the males and females in separate 

 dishes until the sexual products are ex- 

 truded, and then mixing in the ordinary 

 way. Autolytus and other Syllids are fre- 

 quently taken in the skimmings ; the eggs 

 are held in small spheres under the abdo- 

 men. Nereis limbatasind N. megalops may be 

 taken at the surface, in the evening, in 

 great numbei-s and during the entire sum- 

 mer. The breeding habits of Diopatra are 

 unknown, though the ova are nearly ripe in 

 August. Though many specimens of Mar- 

 physa have been collected, the time of sex- 

 ual maturity is not known. The breeding 

 habits of Anthostoma and Tro2:)honia are 

 also unknown. Dr. A. D. Mead informs 

 me that Cirratulus grandis breeds during 

 July, and that the females will deposit 

 their eggs while in confinement. The eggs 

 are of fair size, but very opaque. Ovipo- 

 sition takes place in the evening. On the 

 breeding habits of Maldane and Cistenides 

 I have been unable to collect specific data. 



Dr. Mead has spent a great deal of time 

 in determining the breeding period of Am- 

 phitrite ornata, and after collecting about 

 eight hundred specimens, at various times 

 of the year, concludes that there is no defi- 

 nite breeding season. Between the first of 

 June and the last of August only occasional 

 individuals were found which yielded ripe 

 sexual products. The eggs are extruded 

 during the evening, and will not fertilize if 

 artificially removed from the body cavity. 

 Soionopsis palmata was found to bear eggs, 

 apparently ripe, in August, but artificial 

 fertilization was not attempted. The eggs 

 oiSerpula (Hydroides) may be readily secured 



by simply crushing the worm-tubes, and 

 then placing the somewhat injured female 

 in sea-water. As soon as the males are 

 taken from the tubes the sperm will be 

 seen to ooze from the nephridial openings. 

 Spirorhis horealis is frequently found with 

 eggs and embryos. From the latter part of 

 June to the latter part of July the eggs of 

 Arenicola may be collected by the bucketful. 

 They are extruded in a jelly-like mass, 

 sometimes two feet in length, and are es- 

 pecially abundant on the warm sand-flats of 

 Buzzard's Bay. 



Dr. Mead obtained the eggs of Chcetopterus 

 during July and August by cutting open the 

 females. During the early summer of 1892 

 the larvse of Folygordius were exceedingly 

 abundant, and few specimens were taken 

 during the past summer. Sagitta occurred 

 occasionally. It was noted by Mr. S. E. 

 Williams during the middle of June, and 

 again at the close of the month and early 

 in July. 



Nedonema was occasionally brought into 

 the Laboratory, and Dr. H. B. Ward has 

 known it to extrude its eggs while in dishes 

 of sea- water. 



Dr. E. G. Gardiner informs me that he 

 has taken the orange- colored eggs of Poly- 

 chcerus caudatus as early as June 6, and 

 that they are abundant from June 15 to 

 August 25. The eggs are deposited at night 

 in transparent gelatinous capsules. 



' Tornaria ' larvse are often taken during 

 August in great abundance at flood tide, 

 during both day and night. 



Echinoderms. — Previous notes in Science 

 have called attention to the early breeding 

 habits of several representatives of this 

 group. Echinaraehnms parma continues to 

 breed throughout June and the early part 

 of July, and a limited number of eggs may 

 be secured even during the later portions 

 of the summer. Arbaeia punctulata yields 

 ripe eggs during the latter part of June, 

 throughout July and a portion of August. 



