encrustations is the beautiful purple Briareum asbesti- 

 num. The numerous fair sized polyps form a thick fur 

 on the living seafinger. 



Seafans, as their name indicates, grow in the shape 

 of large blue, purple or yellow leaf like expanses. The 

 basic structure is similar to that of seawhips, but the 

 numerous short branches are interlaced and fused to- 

 gether so as to form a close network. The common 

 seafan in the West Indies is Rhipidigorgia flabellum. 



Among the crevices between hard corals, around the 

 bases of soft corals, and in the burrows formed by other 

 animals, a varied collection of Crustacea is found. The 

 small bright green shrimp-like Qonodactylus is fre- 

 quently to be seen here. There are also snapping 

 shrimps little more than an inch or so long but capable 

 of making very loud clicking noises as they snap shut 

 the giant claws which are asymmetrically developed on 

 the leg of one side. The female may be carrying bright 

 orange egg masses. In addition there are masked crabs, 

 with their bodies camouflaged by the algae, hydroids 

 or other small sea growths that are attached to their 

 back. In the open or in the larger crevices are spider 

 crabs, large mantis shrimps, Scjuilla empusa, the edible 

 spiny lobster or crayfish, Panulirus argus, and the 

 larger crabs. In crevices of the rocks or in burrows in 

 the sand are occasionally found the edible stone crab, 

 Menippe or the weird looking, shovel nosed, Spanish 

 Lobster, Scyllarides ecfuinoctialis. Occasionally among 

 rocks the octopus may also be encountered. 



Enormous loggerhead sponges (Spheciospongia ves- 

 paria), the large cup sponge, sometimes larger than a 

 small barrel, the black commercial wool, reef and grass 

 sponges and other brilliantly colored sponges, tubular, 



5i 



