JOURNAL OF ANIMAL BEHAVIOR 



Vol. 3 SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER, 1913 No. 5 



MODIFIABILITY IN THE BEHAVIOR OF THE 



CALIFORNIA SHORE-ANEMONE 



CRIBRINA XANTHOGRAMMICA BRANDT 



WILSON GEE 



Laboratory of Experimental Zoology, University of California 



INTRODUCTION 



No feature of the behavior of sea -anemones has received more 

 consideration from biological investigators than have the feed- 

 ing reactions of these interesting animals. Yet there are few 

 parts of their repertoire of responses about which there is more 

 uncertainty existing than about the real explanation of their 

 modified behavior in relation to food. It was with the idea of 

 throwing additional light on this matter that the researches 

 reported in this paper were begun. In the main, they were 

 conducted in the zoological laboratories of the University of 

 California. Many valuable observations were made during a 

 two weeks stay at the Hopkins Sea Side Laboratory of Leland 

 Stanford Jr. University. 



The writer wishes to express here his thanks to Professor 

 S. J. Holmes for the suggestion of the problem and for the 

 kindly help and interest which he has contributed to the work. 

 To Professor Harold Heath of Stanford University he acknowl- 

 edges many courtesies during his brief stay at the Hopkins Sea 

 Side Laboratory. For the identification of the material used he 

 acknowledges his indebtedness to Professor H. B. Torrey of 

 Reed College. 



HABITAT AND HABITS 



Cribrina xanthogrammica Brandt is the common shore anemone 

 of the Pacific Coast ot North America, and its recorded dis- 



