470 



FISHES 



The eggs appear to be deposited on the sea-bottoin in deep water, 

 but they are very rarely obtained. An egg-case dredged up off 

 the south-west coast of Ireland, at a depth of 315 fathoms, and 

 about 6^ inches in length, is shown iu Fig. 268.^ It consisted 



Fig. 268. — Egg-case of a species of Ohimaera. a, Transverse section across the case 

 at p;, showing tlie lateral valvular slits ; Zj, similar section across x', showing the 

 vertical ridges. (From Glintlier.) 



of a broad, somewhat oval, flattened portion which contained the 

 egg, and terminated at one end iu a truncated margin, while at 

 the other it was produced into a long tapering styliform process, 

 traversed by dorsal, ventral, and lateral ridges. The cavity of 



Fig. 269.— C'aKor/i!/Hc/i!'s oMtarctims. Male. A, lateral view ; B, front view of the 

 mouth ; C, front view of nasal process, a.c. Anterior clasper ; b.a, external 

 branchial aperture ; f.c, frontal clasper ; p.c, posterior clasper. (From a specimen 

 in the Cambridge Museum.) 



the egg-case was open in front, and also along each side, where 

 linear, slit-like valvular apertures freely admitted sea-water into 

 the central cavity. A similar egg-case from Japan, measuring 

 9 inches in length, had its surface traversed by longitudinal and 



^ Giluther, Ann. Mag. Ndt. Hist. (6) iv. 1889, p. 415. 



