No. 493] 



THE S] 



41 



to move along the body of the female to the customary 

 amplexation of his species. A similar weakened condi- 

 tion may explain the occasional records of lumbar em- 

 braces with other captive annrans which normally adhere 

 to the axillary type. 



At the height of the breeding season the male (uoro- 

 philus, like other Annra, often grasp moving objects or 

 animals which are in the same aquarium with them. 



The Egg-laying.— On the morning of April 2, 1907. the 

 25 male Chorophihts t risrriatus were placed with the five 

 females. At 9 :50 A. M., the first mated pair was recorded 

 and, within 20 minutes the female began laying. With 

 one exception, she chose a different perch for each egg- 

 laying period, thus giving a bunch to each period of sexual 

 activity. In one instance she sought the same perch 3 

 successive times. She ordinarily grasped the branch 

 with her forelimbs. When about to deposit she brought 

 one heel up to the stem and near the vent. Farther back 

 the other foot held the stem with the toes. Each time, 

 just before the voidance of eggs the female raised her 

 anus and the male stretched to bring his vent near that 

 of the female. 



This pair consumed 2i hours in laying a complement of 

 500 or 600 eggs. The process required about 90 fertiliza- 

 tions and emissions. The intervals between a simultane- 

 ous fertilization and emission and a similar succeeding 

 period ranged from 16-35 seconds, the common range 

 17-30 seconds, the modal time, 20 seconds, the average, 

 21 seconds. Each time, from 2-10 eggs were voided, 

 being emitted in small strings, a condition which could 

 be most readily seen when occasionally the eggs were 

 unattached to the stem and hung down from the vent of 

 the female. In such cases the strings broke after 10-12 

 eggs were voided. There were 16 periods of egg-laying, 

 20 70 eggs being usually laid at a period and each period 

 consumed from 2-7 minutes, 3 minutes being the modal 



the surface of the water. These 15 periods of rest varied 



