The Embryology of Heterodontus japonicus JlS 



A "nest" was discovered October 4, 1905, in the channel off the fishing town of Miura- 

 Misaki behind the island Jogashima, at a depth of 28 feet. It contained 15 eggs in various 

 stages of development. The bottom of the nest was of seaweed, its sides were formed by 

 irregular rock masses, some of large size, and the nest was largely concealed by several flat 

 stones which the divers removed only with difficulty. (It appeared fortunately that this 

 particular spot was rich in Haliotis and was being inspected with great care). The eggs were 

 shown to be arranged in a space about six feet long, the greater number of them lying together 

 closely embedded in the seaweed, "four out of five" of them being wedged in, with the Httle 

 end of the capsule downward. I visited the spot and it may be worth while to picture 

 a restoration of this nest (Text-figure 42) as near as I could make it out without diving, relying 

 upon the fisherman's reconstruction. 



From the preceding account, it appears that there is similarity in the egg capsules 

 and in the spawning habits of Heterodontus phillipi and H. japonicus. In both species, 

 the capsules are surrounded by a pair of broad spiral valvC'like appendages which end 



Text-figure 42. 



Reconstruction of a typical "nest" oi Heterodontus japonicus found at the bottom of the Sagami Sea at a depth 



of 28 feet. The nest was surrounded by large rock fragments. Some encapsuled eggs may be seen entangled 



among sea weeds at the bottom of the nest, and other eggs are wedged into crevices in the rocks. 



From a drawing by Bashford Dean, whose initials appear in the lower right-hand corner. 



