EGGS OF WHELK. 



77 



be recognised as such by one who was not 

 acquainted with the animals to which they 

 belonged. Very many eggs are found on the 

 shores ; but as most of them may be referred 

 to one out of four or five classes of animals, 

 I will only mention those that are, as it were, 

 the general types. 



Plate H is specially dedicated to eggs, and, as 

 will be seen on referring to the plate, some of 

 them have anything but an egg-like aspect. The 

 commonest of all the eggs, masses of which are 

 to be found at almost all seasons of the year, are 

 those of the common whelk, the shell of which is 

 represented on p. 22, and its eggs on plate H, 

 fig. 3. The egg mass from which the drawing 

 was made, is now before me. It contains many 

 eggs as yet unhatched, many which are addled, 

 and some which have already discharged their 

 inhabitants. It was taken out of the sea at the 

 very beginning of April, but if it had been per- 

 mitted to remain in its habitation until the 

 summer, all the egg-sacs would have been found 

 empty. I am keeping it in the aquarium in faint 

 hopes that some of the young whelks will be 

 hatched; but it is very doubtful whether the 

 surrounding conditions are sufficiently favour- 

 able. The enormous size of some of these egg- 



