210 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
It is evident that, during the latter part of January and throughout the month of 
February, there is a regular increase in the size of the sexual glands in nearly all the 
star-fishes from Rocky Point, Mount Hope Bay, and Kickemuit River. By the end of 
the first week in March, the great majority appear to be nearly mature, while the 
others, except in a few cases, show a distinct seasonal growth in the sexual glands. 
The stars at this time begin to look “fat,” because of the increased size of these glauds 
and of the digestive glands, usually called the “liver,” which fill the arms. 
April 5, Rocky Point: 197 specimens examined, varying in length from 2 to 4 
inches; 137 had the appearance of being fully ripe; 32 were nearly ripe; in 20 the 
glands were beginning to show the pink color; in 9 they were smaller, but showed 
seasonal development; in 1 only were the glands very small. 
April 13: 25 specimens, out of a basketful from Mount Hope Bay, were examined. 
All seemed ripe, and so the examination was not carried further. Although during 
the first two weeks in April the stars are all apparently ripe, they do not discharge the 
products for about two months. During; this time they appear to be extremely “fat.” 
On May 17 the stars were examined again in Kickemuit River and Mount Hope 
Bay, and appeared very much as in April. They were, perhaps, more distended with 
spawn and milt, but had not yet discharged. 
During the first four days of June, star dish from many localities in the upper 
portion of the bay were examined on board the launch Sagitta , engaged by the United 
States Fish Commission. The stars were, almost without exception, full of very ripe 
eggs and sperm, which were easily shaken loose in the water. Small specimens, 
measuring in many instances only 1J inches, were fully ripe.* 
The height of the spawning season occurred between this date, June 4, and June 
16. From June 16 to June 28 the star-fish examined in many localities, especially at 
Kickemuit and Rocky Point, had extruded most of their eggs or sperm, but in some 
the ripe spawn was found in one of the arms, or merely in the base of the arms, as 
though not quite all had been extruded. Specimens in which some ripe products 
were left were more frequent on the 16th than on the 21st, 22d, and 28th of the month, 
which indicates that the spawning season was rapidly drawing to a close. 
Star fish examined in July, and occasionally during the rest of the summer, 
yielded the same results as those examined at the same season in 1897; most of them 
had very small sexual glands, but some were found with products apparently ripe. 
On June 22 I searched carefully on the seaweed and eelgrass in Kickemuit River 
for very young stars, but not a single one (under one-half inch or more) could be 
found. On June 29 another careful search was made in the same locality, and countless 
numbers of minute stars were found, most of them about the size of the head of a pin. 
They were clinging by dozens to every spear of eelgrass, and scattered diffusely through 
the branches of fluffy seaweed, which is abundant in this locality; the larger of 
them were probably not more than a few days old (since time of setting), as I after- 
wards determined by watching the growth of those whose exact time of setting was 
known. Doubtless, therefore, the small stars were absent, and not overlooked, in the 
search on June 22. I feel sure, therefore, that in this locality the star fish first begin 
to set, in considerable numbers, on June 28, or within a day or two of that date. 
The first attempt to capture stars in the free-swimming stage of their exist- 
ence was on June 27, at Kickemuit. The tow-net was dragged at the surface at 
intervals for two hours in the evening. The weather conditions were unfavorable, 
as I afterwards learned, and for this reason no young stars were caught. On the 
* See remarks on “Age and size at sexual maturity.” 
