ORDER L^MODIPODA. 107 



it resides in holes, which it makes in the mud, covered with 

 the woodwork erected hy the muscle-catchers. It appears at 

 the beginning of May, and immediately commences warfare 

 against the Nereids, AmpJunomce, Arenicola, and other marine 

 Annelida which take up their abode in the same places. At the 

 rising of the tide, myriads of these Crustacea smm about in every 

 direction, and beat the mud with their long antennae, and turn it 

 over in order to find theu- prey. \Vhen they have discovered one 

 of these annelida, often ten, or even twenty times as large as 

 themselves, several of them unite together to attack and devour 

 it. They do, not cease this warfare until they have thoroughly 

 searched all the mud. They likewise attack moliusca, fishes, and 

 even the carcases of large animals left in the mud. They also 

 ascend the hurdle fences inclosing the muscles, in order to feed 

 upon the latter ; indeed, the muscle-catchers pretend that they cut 

 the threads which retain these shell-fish, so as to cause them to 

 fall into the mud, that they may the more easily devour them. 



In the genus Talitrus (Latreille), the upper antennae are 

 very short, the lower long, with the terminal division annular, 

 and the four anterior legs not distinctly claw-shaped. The 

 typical species is Talitrus locusta, which is very abundant on 

 our sandy shores, burrowing into the sand, and, unlike the 

 majority of the order to which it belongs, seldom or never 

 entering the water. It serves as food to many of the shore 

 birds, which feed upon it with avidity. 



ORDER IV. LiEMODIPODA. 



This singular order consists of several curious insects of 

 small size, having the body in general narrow, elongated, 

 or linear, composed of eight or nine joints, with the ab- 

 domen rudimental, and furnished with several small anal 

 appendages. They have four simple setaceous antennae 

 arising from a three-jointed foot-stalk; the mandibles are 

 not furnished with palpi ; the legs terminated by a strong 

 hook, except the third and fourth pairs in some species, 

 which are nearly rudimental. They appear to respire by 



