94 KANSAS UNIVERSITY SCIENCE BULLETIN. 



streams" . . . "for the purpose of foraging, seeking new 

 quarters, or more probably mating." 



He refers to the question raised by Chaney ('89) about the 

 feeding habits of the crayfish, and states that it will take living 

 prey, as earthworms. In aquaria, they devoured in large quan- 

 tities growing algte and pondweed. 



During the several weeks he kept in aquaria specimens of C. 

 obesus and C. gracilis taken immediately upon "their first issu- 

 ance from the state of hibernation," upon the breaking up of 

 the severe winter of 1888 ; several pairs were noticed in copula- 

 tion. 



He never found them mating except in early spring, March 

 and April, and sometimes in May, which is also the season of 

 ovipositing. In only two instances was he able to get reports 

 of females in " berry " at a later period than June ; and in each 

 case' but a single specimen was found. "I have frequently 

 found large males traveling considerable distance overland in 

 the month of March to neighboring streams and ponds, doubt- 

 less in response to the sexual instinct, which is remarkably 

 dominant at that time. In many cases the boldness with 

 which such journeys were prosecuted in open daylight proved 

 a fatal adventure, the daring subject falling a victim to the 

 rapacity of the ubiquitous crow." 



He had frequently taken specimens which had recently exu- 

 viated, and this was invariably in the spring, chiefly in May 

 arid early June. He also noticed perfect casts, which could not 

 remain in such perfect condition during the winter, very com- 

 monly in the creeks in the spring and early summer. 



Schufeldt ('96) observed the burrows of crayfish, probably 

 C. diogenes, in southern Louisiana, especially in the vicinity of 

 New Orleans. Some of his observations agree with those of 

 Girard and Tarr, neither of whose writings he mentions. On 

 a. low plain south of New Orleans, he observed a great number 

 of "chimneys" irregularly scattered over the entire meadow, 

 but becoming markedly more numerous as one approached 

 either side of a ditch. Some were short and flattened out; 

 others reached the height of one foot and were uniformly built. 

 In some places they stood in couples, side by side, but were 

 usually separated from each other by eight or ten paces. All 

 were built vertically, even when they stood on the sloping bank 



