PREFACE 
ees little work attempts to present in clear, untechnical lan- 
guage, a description, accompanied by photographs, of the larger 
and more conspicuous marine invertebrates of the coast of New York 
State. In order to increase the general usefulness of the work, 
however, accounts of the habits of a few creatures from other re- 
gions are introduced. Such are: Commercial sponges, crayfishes, 
the spiny lobster, the edible shrimp, the orchid land-erab, fresh- 
water mussels, the giant clam, the pearl oyster, the giant squid, 
and the chambered nautilus. <A brief description of some of our 
common “sea squirts,” or tunicates, is also given on account of 
their interesting position among primitive vertebrates. 
This work is intended for readers who may be unfamiliar with 
the technical terms in use among specialists, and consequently 
such terms have been avoided whenever a simple English equival- 
ent could be substituted. 
Its aim is to increase intelligent interest in the habits and life- 
histories of our marine animals, and to disseminate a knowledge of 
their appearance and relationships. It is not a textbook of syste- 
matic zoology. 
It is designed to be of use to the beginner, and with the hope 
that a perusal of its pages may stimulate to further study, many 
references to works in the English language of a more thorough 
