t- 



1897] NOTES AND COMMENTS 1 



tenanted by a few Calcinus clcgans, whose brilliant red, blue, and 

 white claws distinguished it as the dandy of the company. This 

 species is never out of the range of the rough waves. The extreme 

 windward portion of the reef left dry at low tide was but rarely 

 attainable ; Aniculus, whose bristly claws usually protruded from a 

 stolen Turbo shell, was a distinctive feature of this zone. In the 

 honey-combed pits of the millipore mounds that breasted the surf, 

 cowered Daira pcrlata. The close resemblance of colour and contour 

 to the surrounding rock rendered this crab difficult to detect, and 

 when seen the creature's powers of adherence and the sweep of the 

 Pacific rollers rendered it as difficult to seize." 



Gcograpsus crinipcs, Dana, occurred in association with Coenobita 

 and Cardisoma, at a distance from the sea, among broken coral rocks 

 shaded by vegetation. This is the first instance of a grapsoid crab 

 living wholly on dry land, and it displays interesting adaptations to 

 terrestrial conditions. It breathes by hair-lined pores between the 

 bases of the second and third pairs of walking-legs ; and its colour, 

 a dirty yellowish-white, harmonises with that of the coral fragments. 



Athelguc aniculi is a new Epicarid living on Aniculus typicus, a 

 hermit crab that lives in the shell of Turbo sctosus, on the outer edge 

 of the reef, most exposed to the surf. 



The collection of echinoderms comprises 130 specimens, repre- 

 senting 19 species, mostly common forms : — 7 echinoids, 3 asteroids, 

 3 ophiuroids, 6 holothurians. A detailed description is given of 

 two specimens referred to Culcita acutispina. Most specimens of 

 this starfish, as also of Anthcnea acuta, common in Port Jackson, are 

 unsymmetrical when dredged up ; but, if placed on a level surface 

 in sea-water, they soon regain their natural form, and may be killed 

 in that state either by flooding them with fresh water or by placing 

 them in strong spirit. Neglect to take these precautions may have 

 led to the establishment of invalid species. 



Granivorous Insects 



Another of the excellent Bulletins (N.S. No. 8) issued by the 

 Entomological Division of the U. S. A. Department of Agricul- 

 ture has reached us. It is written by Mr F. H. Chittenden, and 

 deals with insects which have been observed in* North America to 

 injure stored grain and other vegetable products. It is of interest 

 to find included among these, certain beetles of the family Dermes- 

 tidae and their grubs. These insects, which include the well-known 

 ' Bacon Beetle,' have long been notorious as devourers of dried 

 animal matter, but have not attracted attention as vegetarians. It 

 appears, however, that some of them can find sustenance on stored 

 grain, meal, and cloth. 



