scuttling crabs in the posture previously described. A V i 1 1 1 

 a quick rush it generally reaches its prey and renders 

 it incapable of motion by spreading its arms over the crab. 

 Sometimes it gathers up several crabs simultaneously in 

 this way — taking an armful as it were. These are then 

 consumed one by one. At other times it secures its prey 

 by quickly swooping down upon it from the water above, 

 with the arms outstretched. 



How, exactly, Eledone opens the crab cannot be seen. 

 as the arms cover over and so hide the prey from view- 

 when it is being consumed. If, however, the dorsal 

 carapace is removed from a crab in the easiest way 

 possible, beginning at the posterior edge, and simply 

 pulling the shell away, the portion which comes away is 

 exactly similar in shape to that which Eledone leaves. 

 Hence probably it adopts this method of removing the 

 carapace with its beak, and then eats the soft body of 

 the crab. Usually the ventral exoskeleton and limbs of 

 the victim are left attached to one another, or the limbs 

 may be broken away. While feeding, Eledone curls its 

 arms about in the water, as though with pleasurable 

 excitement. Xo accurate observations have been made as 

 to the amount of food consumed in any given time. They 

 have been known to attack and cat one another, the arms 

 only of the victim, which is not necessarily killed, being 

 generally devoured. Only two records have been made 

 of the occurrence of K. cirrosa in the stomach of British 

 lisli (the Angler and the Ling — see list below). It is not 

 improbable that dolphins and porpoises prey on the large 

 Eledones, while the young and therefore small and feeble 

 ones probably form food for various marine animals. 

 When they attain some size, the suckers and beak will 

 render them decidedly uninviting. Possibly their sinister 

 attitude and bright colour also protect them. Congers 



