EDRIOPHTHALMIA . 



77 



FIG. 105. Orchestia agilis, beach-flea, enlarged. 



which comes in their way. While they furnish many a meal for the shore birds, 

 the tisrer beetles consume an immense amount of them. 



O 



In speaking of the amphipods, 

 Professor Verrill says : " These 

 small Crustacea are of great im- 

 portance in connection with our 

 fisheries, for we have found that 

 they, together with the shrimps, 

 constitute a very large part of the 

 food of our more valuable edible 

 fishes, both of fresh and salt waters. 

 The amphipods, though mostly of 

 small size, occur in such immense numbers in their favorite localities that they can 

 always be easily obtained by the fishes that eat them, and no doubt they furnish ex- 

 cellent and nutritious food, for even the smallest of them are by no means overlooked 

 even by large and powerful fishes, that could easily capture larger game. Even the 

 voracious blue-fish will feed upon these small Crustacea where they can be easily ob- 

 tained, even when menhaden and other fishes are plenty in the same localities. They 

 are also the favorite food of trout, lake whitefish, shad, flounders, scup," etc. 



The Edriophthalmia make their appearance in the coal measures of Europe and 

 America. These early forms are amphipodal in their general appearance, but in many 

 details they resemble some of the true shrimps. The coal-measures of Illinois are 

 especially rich in these forms. 



J. S. KlNGSLEY. 



FIG. 106. Amphithoe maculata, enlarged twice. 



