TOL] N. ANNANDALE: Fauna Symbiotica Indica, 4. 249 
such parties are usually confined to one gill-chamber, that on the 
other side of the prawn remaining vacant. 
The eggs are attached to the gill-filaments of the host and are 
apparently deserted by their parent before they hatch. I found 
numerous examples far advanced in development at the beginning 
of March. There are asa rule not more than half a dozen on one 
host. 
The food of Cavidinicola consists mainly if not entirely of 
minute Protozoa and Protophyta. The contents of the alimentary 
canal as a rule consists of a brownish granular substance, probably 
excretory and containing large numbers of Diatom and Desmid 
skeletons. The tests of Rhizopod Protozoa are often present also 
in considerable numbers. 
Prey is evidently captured by means of the pharynx, which 
can, as already stated, be thrust out bodily in the form of a pro- 
e F 
a b 
Fic. 2.—A single individual of Caridinicola indica in different stages 
of contraction. 
boscis. I have not been so fortunate as to see the process, but 
Babu Abohya Charan Chowdhary, the Museum draftsman, tells 
me that while he was drawing the sketches reproduced in fig. 2, 
he saw the worm suddenly shoot out its proboscis and seize there- 
with a ‘‘small insect’? which was running past. The proboscis 
was then rapidly withdrawn. The ‘‘small insect’’ was probably 
an Infusorian. The animal can easily be induced to extrude its 
proboscis by the exercise of pressure. Apparently the extrusion 
takes place more readily when the whole body is in a state of 
moderate contraction and is brought about by lateral contraction 
of the muscles of the body-wall, which are very well developed, 
aided by those of the organ itself. Retraction is affected by means 
of the retractor muscles situated at the base of the oesophagus. 
Doubtless the sense-organs surrounding the mouth enable the 
animal to decide whether the prey captured shouid be swallowed 
