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THE AMERICAN NATURALIST. [Vol. XXXVI II. 



Breeding habits. — In general the breeding season of our 

 species extends from the last of June to the first of September. 

 There seems to be considerable variation in the time when the 

 egg laying begins, in 1897 the capsules were first found July 

 9th. In 1898 none were found until July 25th. Then three 

 were found which had been laid within thirty-six hours. In 

 190C cohecting was begun July loth and capsules w^ere found 

 which must have been layed as early as June 25th, judging from 

 the fact that the embryos had already left some of the capsules 

 and were leaving others. However, the animals lay most 

 abundantly between July 15th and August 15th. The egg 

 capsules may be found scattered through the eel grass and algae 

 on the edges of the pond, or lagoon, but each capsule is attached 

 to grass or algae from two to six feet below the surface of the 

 water. Apjjarently the animals congregate in favorable spots to 

 lay their eggs. In one place in the eel pond, where the water 

 is about three feet deep at low tide, over five hundred capsules 

 were collected in ten days within an area about ten feet square. 

 During the same period repeated trips were made to various 

 parts of the pond, but only a very few capsules were found. 



On the sandy bathing beach previously mentioned the anirhals 

 lay in the same place from year to year. Here there is a small 

 patch of eel grass in about three feet of water ; in and around 

 this patch the eggs are laid in great numbers. In this locality 

 the capsules are attached either to the eel grass or, as m most 

 cases, simply to the sand. The sandy bottom slopes out grad- 

 ually for about one-fourth of a mile, merging finally into a 

 muddy bottom. I ha\e never dredged here, either before or 

 after the breeding season, so I do not know where Haminea 

 stays during other seasons ; but I have dug down into the sand, 

 both before and after the laying season, and have never been 

 able to find any of the animals. It is difficult to ascertain where 

 Hammea lives at other times than the breeding season, but 

 the fact that it cannot be found in shallow water except at 

 this time seems to show that it migrates into deeper water. 

 I his idea is also supported by the occurrence of Haminea in 

 thirty feet of water in the Big Harbor, and by the statement of 

 Verrill {'72) to the effect that, " A specimen of winter flounder 



