308 WILSON GEE 



ductus. Limpets were rapidly taken in and constitute one of 

 the possible if not common foods of the anemone. Small marine 

 gasteropods were also readily accepted, even though the mol- 

 lusc had retracted and shut its shell with the operculum. Nereid 

 worms and other marine annelids were in many cases held 

 successfully by the tentacles and taken into the gastrovascular 

 cavity. Even pieces of the foot and column of other anemones 

 were accepted by members of the same species. In fact Cribrina 

 xanthogrammica, when in its normal habitat seems to be not at 

 all discriminating in regard to its food. The normal condition of 

 the anemone in the tide-pools examined seems to be always 

 that of hunger. That from the ingestion of inert bodies, such 

 as stones, the anemone is likely to receive a certain amount of 

 nutriment from the encrusting plant growths and minute ani- 

 mals has been suggested by Torrey (1904) in his paper on Sagar- 

 tia, and my observations lead me to extend his suggestion to 

 Cribrina. 



In the material extruded from the gastrovascular cavity of 

 specimens of Cribrina after being brought into the laboratory 

 is to be found a variety of remains. This material from more 

 than a dozen specimens was carefully examined, as well as the 

 contents of the cavity of a couple of dozens of dissected speci- 

 mens. The contents of the digestive cavity are usually to be 

 found enveloped in the midst of a copious matrix of mucus. 

 The extruded material is always surrounded by mucus, and 

 usually is in the form of a somewhat spherical mass. Spines 

 of sea-urchins, small gravel, chelae of crabs, remains of various 

 of the smaller crustaceans, such as amphipods, isopods, and 

 Hippolyte, and numerous small mollusc shells tell the story of 

 a general wholesale engulfing on the part of the anemone when 

 the waves were washing over it. To what extent some of this 

 engulfed material affords nutriment is a doubtful matter and 

 involves the question of the digestive abilities of the sea ane- 

 mone, a subject which has not formed a part of this inves- 

 tigation. On breaking apart several of the detached chelae of 

 the crabs which were taken in the extruded material the only 

 content was found to be a small quantity of mucus. Whether 

 these chelae contained upon being ingested the muscles which 

 they have normally is a matter which would have to be tested 

 by digestion experiments. 



