98 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
patches whereon to graze. When such a one is discovered it is 
gradually licked quite clean. If the patch happens to be the 
surface of a moderate-sized barnacle, the circular lip is com- 
pletely spread over it, almost tempting one to believe that the 
crustacean is about to be ‘sawn out.” Such, however, is not 
the case, “‘ house-cleaning”’ being the sole end in view. Indeed, 
limpets are often serviceable to one another by thus clearing 
away esculents growing upon their shells. To secure a dinner 
a good deal of licking is requisite, and perhaps this habit may 
help to account for the inordinate length of the tongue ribbon. 
Certainly it must be used up at a very great rate. 
But this is not the only, though, I believe, the chief, way in 
which the limpet feeds. ‘Those individuals which live near 
large sea-weeds, such as F'ucus, feed extensively upon them, as 
their gnawed condition testifies. I can speak confidently in 
this matter, having caught more than one limpet in the act. 
The operation was as follows:—The edge of a thick flat part 
of the thallus was seized by the lip (as a traveller might 
commence on a colossal sandwich), and being, I suppose, held 
firmly by the upper jaw, a semicircular “ bite” was gradually 
excavated by successive scrapes of the radula, the edges of the 
bite being bevelled on the under side. So far as my observation 
extended, limpets do not feed when covered by water, but always 
settle down firmly before the rising tide reaches them. The 
intervals between which any particular limpet feeds seem to be 
very irregular; but, as a rule, the largest limpets are apparently 
least fond of long fasts. 
In regard to the second point, the locality-sense, great doubt 
seems to exist in the minds of naturalists as to whether limpets 
go back to the same place to roost. I believe the question was 
answered in the affirmative long since by a Mr. King, but, as far 
as is known to me, he did not publish any details of his observa- 
tions, and this is my excuse for giving an outline of mine. 
Following a suggestion of Mr. Murray, I marked a number of 
limpets with white paint, and made corresponding marks near 
their ‘‘ scars” with a view to “keeping my eye on them.” As 
Dr. S. P. Woodward remarks, it seems probable from an @ priori 
point of view, that limpets have a settled home, for they occupy 
scars, often sunk to a considerable depth, which exactly 
correspond to the outline of the shell. My observations, made 
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