THE BEHAVIOR OF THE SHORE-ANEMONE 307 



kept in the laboratory for a few days, these particles of foreign 

 material are almost all shed. In the tide-pools, specimens in 

 an expanded condition were injected with substances such as 

 potassium chloride and beef juice, and in many cases, imme- 

 diately dropped the attached pieces of debris. These facts 

 would seem to indicate that a certain tonus of these tubercles 

 is necessary for them to continue to hold the covering with 

 which they have decked themselves. That there is a changed 

 responsiveness in animals removed to the laboratory for a few 

 days as contrasted with those remaining in the normal habitat 

 is a fact too obvious to escape the notice of any one who has 

 experimented with anemones. Bohn (1907) has made this fact 

 clear in his discussion of the diverse factors influencing general 

 responsiveness in several species of anemones on which he 

 worked. 



In tide-pools, numbers of anemones may be found expanded 

 during the day, thus indicating that this species of anemone 

 remains open under the influence of strong sunlight. This con- 

 clusion is further substantiated by the experiments on the light 

 reactions of specimens kept in the laboratory. 



FOOD 



Many times the attempt was made to have specimens kept 

 in the laboratory to accept stones and perfectly clean pieces 

 of filter paper handled with clean forceps. The tentacles in 

 many cases would adhere to the objects and incline towards 

 the mouth opening, but not with any considerable vigor of 

 response, and in every case, the proffered objects were event- 

 ually refused. No difficulty was experienced, however, in having 

 the anemone take in pieces of filter paper soaked in oyster or 

 clam juice. 



When specimens in an expanded condition in the pockets 

 among the rocks along the shore were given apparently clean 

 stones loosened in the sea water around them, in dozens of 

 cases, they grasped them with their tentacles and took them 

 into the gastrovascular cavity. One large anemone accepted 

 a stone as large as a pigeon's egg, and apparently perfectly 

 clean. Fair sized crabs were taken in entire by the larger ane- 

 mones, as well as detached chelae of adult specimens of the 

 rock crab, Cancer antennarius, and kelp crab, Epialtus pro- 



