MAEINE BIOLOGICAL STATION ON rUFFIN ISLAND. 23 



were the shrimps feeding on ? (8) Did you see anything 

 eating the shrimps? (9) What has been the general 

 weather and state of sea this month ? (10) Have you any 

 other remarks to make ? ' ' 



Last year I reduced the reports to a tabular form* 

 showing the answers to each question in each month at 

 each locality. There is no need to construct a similar 

 table this year as on the whole the answers are the same 

 as before, I shall therefore refer readers to last year's 

 table and mention merely the few points of difference or 

 of special interest which these reports present. 



In January, in all localities, the shrimps were smaller 

 than in the previous year : the weather was colder, frosty. 

 Mr. Ascroft writes from Lytham in February that there 

 are '' a great number of Crangon allmani amongst the 

 shrimps." 



The prawners are reported as finding lumps of the sand 

 tubes built up by the gTegarious annehds Sabellaria 

 alveolata to be full of prawns. This year again there is 

 much evidence that few shrimps are to be obtained in 

 cold and in unsettled weather. The food matters generally 

 attributed to the shrimps are : — worms, shore worms, 

 long fine green worms, dead fish, sweet cockles and lug- 

 worms, stones and shells, and finally " suction." One 

 correspondent mentions that sometimes the anterior end 

 of the shrimp is coloured green by the green worms it has 

 eaten. Some of these matters require investigation. 



By universal consent the worst enemies of the shrimp 

 are crabs [Carcimis moenas and Folijhius hensloioi) and 

 fishes, especially whiting, young haddock, small cod, 

 skates, and flukes. Mr. Ascroft mentions in February 

 having taken a quart of shrimps out of a skate's stomach. 

 It is reported from Parkgate that in the summer time the 



* See Trans. L'pool Biol. Soc, vol. v., p. 32, 1890. 



