264 



THE AMERICAN NATURALIST [Vol. XLI 



The young were hatching upon six of these females May 22n(l 

 and just before this an examination of the embryos showed a 

 dehcate loose cuticle over each tip of the chela, over the abdomen, 

 and over the body, and an egg opened in strong sugar solution, 

 and then put into water showed a cuticle swelling up all over the 

 antennse, the chelaj and the abdomen. But when carefully dis- 

 sected it seemed that this cuticle was not a case over each append- 

 age but rather that it was a large bag over the thorax, a side pouch 

 over the abdomen, a large side pouch over all the pereiopods and 

 a side pouch over all the gills. Probably, however, there are two 

 thin membranes, an outer vitelline membrane of irregular form 

 when stretched over the protuberant regions of the animal and an 

 inner, real cast-off cuticle, that goes over each appendage; for 

 some dissections showed the embryo inside a delicate spherical 

 bag fastened to the inside of the egg case, and observations upon 

 the hatching larvae seemed to show them drawing out the limbs 

 from separate envelopes. 



At the end of the telson there were groups of spines fastened to 

 the cuticle by refractive fibrillar coagulum. On each side a grouj) 

 of six spines arched over and connected very mueli as in C. clarkii, 

 figure 3, and here the cuticle was thrust ofi' further, wliilc on the 

 middle line it was close to the telson. 



In one individual the actual hatching lasted forty-five niiinites; 

 the egg case cracked open opposite to the stalk and the embryo 

 slowly "oozed" out back forward. During this process some 

 movements of the legs were seen as well as a rhythmic pulsation 

 of the lateral lobe of the liver lying close to the yolk mass on each 

 side of the body, and swaj'ing movements of the yolk mass. This 

 tube was filled with yellow liquid for ten or twelve seconds and 

 then grew narrow and white for about two seconds and again filled. 

 It seemed as if tlie tube weiv contractile itself, but the yellow liquid 



In either case the rhythmic filling would seem useful in ai<ling in 

 digestion of the yolk, uhich was the only available food so far. 

 Shoiikl it prove that the a<li:lt liver also rhythmically fills and 

 empties it would be an interesting addition to the anatomical and 

 physiological evidence advanced by H. Jordan (Pfluger's Archiv, 

 1904,) to show that the iiver' is the chief organ for absorption 

 as well as secretion. 



