No. l.j YERRILL — THE FOOD OF FISHES. 109 



marine worms, bivalve molliisks, and ecliinoderms feed upon the 

 same kind of food, which is everywhere abundant. The Moss- 

 bunker is often infested by a hirge parasitic Lernean (^Lernocera 

 radlata Les.) which buries its star shaped head deeply in the 

 flesh. 



The Summsr Flounder (CJioenopsettcv ocellaris) contained an 

 abundance of shrimps (Crangon vulgaris and My sis Americanus'). 

 In one specimen we found a full-grown Gehia affinis Say. 



The Spotted Flounder (^Loplwpsetta mamlata Gill) feeds 

 largely upon Crustacea of various kinds. Many specimens con- 

 tained large quantities of shrimps and prawns {CrcLiigon vulgaris, 

 Palccmon vulgaris and My sis Americanus), the latter often 

 making up the bulk of the contents of the stomach. In addition 

 to these, Gammarus mucronatus Say, and Gehia affinis Say, 

 were sometimes found. The Gebia we obtained in considerable 

 numbers bv di2:2:in": them out of their lonGr, crooked burrows at 

 low-water mark, near Mr. Peacock's hotel at Beesley's Point. 

 The burrows, which are made in a tenacious clay soil, often with 

 decaying sea-weed beneath, are from half an inch to nearly an 

 inch in diameter, with smooth walls. They are several feet in 

 depth and very long and tortuous. The Gebia has a distant re- 

 semblance to a young lobster about two or three inches long. 

 The real lobster was not found on the New Jersey coast. The 

 species of Crustacea found in the fishes above named, are all 

 common in the shallow waters of the bay among eel-grass, with 

 the exception of the Crangon vulgaris, which frequents open 

 sandy bottoms, living half buried in the sand, with which its 

 colour exactly accords, furnishing an excellent illustration of im- 

 itative adaptation for protection.^ 



Ophidium marginatum DeKay. This species appears to be 



* Many other cvustacca of our coast afford similar instances. PaU 

 semon vulgaris by its transparency and peculiar tints is scarcely dis- 

 tinguishable among eel-grass ; Idotoea irrorata imitates in all its 

 varied patterns of colour the eel-grass and sea-weeds on Avhich it 

 lives ; /. cseca imitates the color of sand; two species allied to Sphse^ 

 roma imitate the colours of the rocks and white barnacles among 

 which they live ; Crangon boreas of the northern coast, imitates the 

 colours of the red Nullipores among which it seeks concealment, 

 as do also several species of Hippolyte, Chiton ruber, C. mannoreus, 

 Ojphiojjholis aculeata and Ophioglypha robusta. Numerous other instan- 

 ces might be given. 



