ß36 ViNNIE ReAM StOÜT, 



Of the Amphipoda at Laguna Beach, the most conspicuous species 

 wliich cannot fall to be noticed by even the casual observer is 

 Orchestoidea californiana, with its female, wliicli was originally described 

 as a separate species under the name of 0. pugettensis. This was 

 preseut in countless immbers on the beach whereever seaweed had 

 been cast up. South of the pier where great quaiitities of kelp were 

 washed ashore these animals coiild be found in multitudes. In the 

 day-time they burrow deep in the sand or hide under bunches of 

 seaweed near the water line. This is probably for the purpose of 

 escaping their various enemies. Birds feed on them, and when they 

 are in a weakened condition, they fall a prey to swarms of Antho- 

 myiid flies, FucelUa costalis. At noon on August 2nd, when an 

 enormously high tide, accompanied by tremendous breakers, came in, 

 we observed these and all the other creatures of the beach hurrying 

 up the sands to escape the waves. This was the only time on 

 which we observed their coming out in the day time. Soon after 

 sunset in the evening, however, they always burrowed up from the 

 sand, and hopped about all over the beach. They are very active, 

 but their great numbers rendered a collection of them very easy to 

 obtain. These animals are white with the front portion of the ridge 

 of the back and the antennae colored a rather bright orange. None 

 of the forms from the sands display the brilliant and beautiful color- 

 ings of those whose habitat is among the algae. 



Orchestoidea cornmäata n. sp. was occasionally seen among the 

 larger and more numerous members of the genus, and was easily 

 distinguished from them by its pink coloration. Many smaller 

 amphipods were also very common on the sands, and were not 

 nearly so hard to find in the day-time as the 0. californiana. 

 As they burrowed less deep in the sand, as well as nearer the 

 water's edge, they were offen compelled by the waves to change 

 their hiding places. 



In a little salt slough kept wet by occasional Allings from very 

 high tides, and füll of decaying seaweed, I found and collected 

 quantities of the grayish brown and green Orchestia trashiana. These 

 commonly slid around on their sides in the slime, but could also 

 jump freely when out from underneath the algae. 



The family lalitridae is by far the greatest in numbers of any 

 family of amphipods around the littoral margins of the bay. Besides 

 the three forms already mentioned from the beach, the little rose- 

 tinged Ällorchestes freguens n. sp. abounded in tufts of coralline algae 



