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a way that it could be freely examined in the large field of a Kellner 
eye-piece through a tripod Microscope placed over it and fitted with 
a 3-in. objective. 
During the somewhat tedious watch, which commenced at 8 * 30 a.m. 
on December 15th, I was relieved at intervals by my daughter, whose 
scientific training and skill as an observer rendered her on this occasion 
a valuable assistant. For many hours nothing of importance was 
noted beyond occasional alterations in the position of the front legs and 
palpi, of which sketches were made as required. But about 5 p.m. 
some very distinct changes began to take place ; the head, which had 
all along been much retracted, was now so much further withdrawn 
that the extended rostrum and palpi retreated considerably within the 
marginal line, and in thus producing the deep depression in which 
the head was now nearly buried, the cavity between the head and the 
dorsal plate was again formed, whilst the softer adjacent portions of 
the lateral and ventral aspects were drawn inwards until that part 
which had previously been on the ventral surface between the basal 
joints of the first pair of legs was so far drawn over the margin as to 
point in an upward direction, when the creature was standing in its 
natural position. Whilst this was going on, the parts surrounding 
this depression underwent marked changes of colour, passing from 
brown to blue, and ultimately fading to a dull chrome-yellow, a well- 
marked white vesicle at the same time appearing upon the slightly 
elevated centre of the lower internal wall (fig. 1). About 6 p.m. 
the head was slowly lowered until the rostrum touched the under 
surface of the depression, the palpi being at the same time separated, 
so that one rested on each side of the white vesicle. This move- 
ment of course proportionately increased the width of the cavity 
between the head and the dorsal plate and enabled me again to see 
the motion I had observed on the previous night. In a few moments 
it was obvious that a delicate membranous body, glistening with 
mucus, was being protruded from the cavity (fig. 2), and at length, 
by a series of convulsive movements it was developed first as a mobile 
sac, from the lateral extremities of which two elevations were thrown 
up (fig. 3), in turn to be lengthened by evagination into two processes 
or papillae which extended downwards more than half-way across 
the depression, the whole forming a kind of open receptacle some- 
thing like that of the two hands of a person when placed together 
with the wrists in contact for the purpose of catching a ball (fig. 4). 
At the same instant the before-mentioned vesicle became elongated 
until it met and was embraced on either side by the papillae ; through 
its semitransparent walls an egg was seen in motion, which having 
been delivered into the grasp of the papillae (fig. 5), the ovipositor at 
once retracted. This done, the papillae closed over the new laid egg 
(fig. 6), and by a series of movements which can best be likened to the 
actions of the hands during the process of washing with a ball of 
soap, rapidly covered it with a coating of albuminous secretion, and 
