REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR I918 265 



the larvae would have to burrow through 5 or 6 inches of moss. 

 (2) The burrowing of the specimens kept in glass jars may have 

 been induced through efforts to escape too much light. (3) The 

 moss in the jars was loosely placed and permitted easy access to 

 the water. Finally, the fact that all but one of the specimens were 

 dead when found is in itself evidence that the occurrence was 

 accidental. 



The original lot of eggs from which development stages were 

 taken was placed in a glass jar with a perforated top, the whole 

 being kept most of the time surrounded by moss, in a large can. 

 The moss in this jar was damp but not saturated. On June 6th 

 gills were fully developed. Removal of dead individuals and those 

 representing stages of development reduced the original number to 

 three specimens, which on June 12th escaped from the egg envelops. 

 To hasten reduction of gills one of these was placed in moss only 

 su^ciently damp to prevent drying of the specimen. One week 

 later, June igth, the gills on this specimen were shortened to half 

 their original length. 



To recapitulate: Larvae taken May 30th, with gills fully 

 developed and kept in moss saturated with water, left the eggs 

 June igth and retained the gills without apparent reduction until 

 June 23d, when they died. The young then were retained 20 days 

 in the egg with gills fully developed. Larvae of the original lot 

 of eggs arrived at the gill stage June 6th, escaped frcm the eggs 

 June 12th and, in the one specimen that survived, considerable 

 reduction was evident June 19th. Specimens with gills in this 

 case, remained within the egg only 6 days. 



Thirty days were required to complete the development of larvae 

 in the eggs if, as estimated, they had been deposited 3 days before 

 being discovered. In one specimen the gills were reduced to half 

 their original size in 7 days more. If this be considered a normal 

 reduction, then complete loss of the gills might be accomplished in 

 an additional week or two and the total length of time required for 

 development and transformation be limited to a period of about 

 5 weeks. The fact that the female found with eggs May 27th had 

 disappeared with her brood some time before June 30th affords some 

 evidence that the whole period of transformation may be accomplished 

 within the limits estimated. The length of time, however, probably 

 varies considerably, as indicated by the retention of gills in larvae 

 kept in saturated moss. 



The period of egg-transformation of common species in the east 

 is considerably longer than that estimated for Hemidactyliirm, as 



