2l8 THE AMERICAN NATURALIST. [Vol. XXXVIII. 



The question arose as to whether or not copulation took place 

 after laying ; in the three cases that I was able to observe copu- 

 lation did take place after one of the animals had laid but I was 

 unable to observe it between animals both of whom had already 

 laid. Fresh Haminea were collected \ 1 1 mt separate dishes, 

 and kept there for three days ; during this period they did not 

 lay ; then specimens which had copulated and laid were put in 

 with these, copulation followed in each case in about an hour 

 and the animals laid in about twelve hours. Sections of the 

 ovotestis before and after copulation prove the correctness of 

 the above observations. 



In copulation the animals do not uniformly assume any 

 definite ])osition in regard to each other. The genital groove 

 opens on the right side just anterior to the lateral fold of the 

 parapodium, thus obviating the necessity for an exact position. 

 X about fifteen minutes, 

 single gelatinous mass (Fig. 9) which is 

 s[)herical, about three-quarters of an inch 

 in diameter. Its contents are chiefly 

 composed of albumen, which is secreted 

 by the albumen gland. As soon as the 

 albumen comes in contact with the 

 water it swells by the rapid absorption 

 of water, and thus affords a gelatinous 



first le; 



1 for the 

 ; the 



inital groove they are in 

 V hours the strings lose 

 and the eggs are scat- 



i>n the ccl- 



The 



id in the lab( 



often iiTegular : 

 from the pond. The sj 

 and irregular masses, oft 

 copulation. It takes fr( 

 lay a complete normal t 



ban those collected 

 nent that laid small 

 nc without a second 



