Studies in Laguna Beach Jsopoda, II 
BLANCHE E. STAFFORD, M.S. 
Nearly everyone who frequents the seashore and is half alive 
to the many opportunities which the water, rocks and sand offer 
in a study of the manifestations of life which they can reveal, 
has become acquainted with the form and habits of such crus- 
taceans as the lobsters, crabs and shrimps. There are very few, 
also, who do not know the lively little sand-fleas which populate 
so thickly the sandy beach. Not many realize, however, that 
these latter are relations of the big lobster and crab, as they 
are, and that they are of myriad forms and habits; that they 
live not alone in the sand, but in the shallow pools, under rocks, 
on the sea mosses and in the deep waters. But still less do they 
know of the Isopoda, the near neighbors of the sand fleas, or 
Amphipoda. It is with certain Isopoda, relatives of the lobster 
and crab and sand-flea, that this paper deals. The reason we 
know so little, as casual observers, of these little creatures is 
that they are very secretive and love to hide themselves in 
obscure places; their characteristic manner of crawling, instead 
of hopping as do the Amphipoda, makes them less conspicuous 
than the latter. But they are in reality very numerous and 
most interesting in the variety of forms they exhibit. To know 
them one has only to catch them at the proper time and place 
and to ferret them out of their retreats. Frequent the beach 
at a time when the tide is fast advancing and you will see along 
the line left by the receding water whole hosts of these little 
crawlers, scurrying out of their holes for the high and dry 
sands. .Go in the very early morning when the tide is at 
its lowest mark to the mossy rocks which lie uncovered then. 
As you turn them over one by one you will find many inter- 
esting things, among them numbers of amphipods that slide 
around on their sides, and a great plenty of very active 
isopods. You may gather some of the moss on the rocks and 
with the help of a hand lens find that it is peopled with minuter 
forms which you cannot see without this careful scrutiny. And 
