FOURTEEN TELEOSTEAN FISHES AT BEAUFORT, N. C. 
399 
tration of eggs occurs. It is rather certain that the comparatively quiet waters 
on the inside shores of these banks constitute the chief spawning grounds of the pigfish 
in the vicinity of Beaufort. However, some spawning certainly takes place else- 
where within the harbor, in the estuaries, and along the outer shores of the banks, for 
the eggs are distributed too generally throughout these waters to be carried there by 
tides and currents. Then, too, eggs in the early cell-divisions stages were taken just 
off the laboratory pier. Since the development proceeds very rapidly, as shown 
elsewhere, the eggs must have been cast almost where taken. Furthermore, ripe 
or nearly ripe fish may be taken in all of the waters where the eggs occur. All the 
young (larvae) secured in March were taken outside of Beaufort Inlet, and some of 
them as far offshore as 7 miles. Towings were made in inside waters at the same time 
but yielded no pigfish larvae. This apparently would indicate that spawning may 
begin somewhat earlier along the outer shores of the banks than it does on the 
inside shores. 
In general the larger fish spawn first and the late spawners consist of small 
individuals which may be reproducing for the first time. This information is deduced 
from the observation that the roe in large fish early in the season is in a more advanced 
state of development than it is in smaller fish, whereas late in the season the large fish 
usually are spawned out and the smaller ones still contain roe. The spawn apparently 
is not all cast at one time, as the examination of the ovaries shows that the eggs 
contained therein are not all equally developed. Furthermore, partly spent fish are 
seen frequently. 
DEVELOPMENT OF EGGS AND YOUNG 
Spawning appears to take place, exclusively, early in the evening, mostly between 
6 and 8 o’clock. It was positively necessary to collect eggs at this time to get the 
early cell stages, for they could not be obtained at any other hours. Fish confined in 
tanks laid eggs at that time only. Eggs taken in the tow generally are in two remark- 
ably uniform stages of development, which appears to be further proof that spawning 
takes place only at definite intervals and over short periods of time, the eggs in the 
more advanced stage of development having been laid a dacy earlier than the others, 
as explained more fully subsequently. It may be remarked here that early evening 
spawning apparently is quite usual among local marine species. 
Eggs . — The eggs were taken, often in great abundance, in meter townets, and 
they were secured also from the overflow of tanks in which ripe or nearly ripe fish 
had been confined. The eggs generally were cast on the first or second evening of 
confinement. Thereafter very few were obtained, for the pigfish, like some other 
species, appear to hold the spawn and refuse to cast it in confinement, unless quite 
ripe when caught. Stripping and artificially fertilizing the eggs failed. This is not 
surprising now that it is known that spawn is cast only during a few hours in the 
evening, and it is not recalled that artificial fertilization was attempted at that time. 
The eggs are buoyant in sea water. They are spherical and vary in diameter 
from 0.7 to 0.8 millimeter with an average of 0.75 millimeter, as shown by measure- 
ments of 100 newly spawned eggs caught in the overflow of a tank in which ripe 
fish were confined. They are unattached but have a tendency to collect and to 
become arranged in regular series in the glass sediment dishes used for hatching 
them. The eggs are highly transparent and usually contain one comparatively large 
oil globule which has an average diameter of 0.16 millimeter and occupies the upper 
pole; that is, the pole opposite the blastodisc. Occasionally an egg has two and 
