14 The Philippine Journal of Science 1915 



current of water for feeding purposes. If specimens of Atya 

 and Caridina are put in the same running-water aquarium with 

 mud in the bottom, the difference in the behavior is striking. 

 The specimens of Atya seek the current and after attaching 

 themselves to some object remain quiet for long intervals while 

 feeding with their strainers; but the specimens of Caridina 

 apparently disregard the current and begin to crawl about ac- 

 tively over the muddy bottom. During this time the latter 

 are engaged in feeding, which consists of slightly opening the 

 brushes of hairs, sweeping them over mud and other objects, 

 and then applying them to the mouth. They are certainly 

 mud-feeders, although they undoubtedly brush many small or- 

 ganisms off of stones and sticks and algae, grasses, and other 

 plants. When placed in dishes of water with no mud in the 

 bottom, but with a supply of algse and other water plants, they 

 usually attach themselves to the plants, when hungry, crawling 

 gradually about and sweeping off the organisms, since this is 

 the only place they can obtain their food. I have not observed 

 this method of feeding in the natural habitat; there, the cari- 

 dinas are usually found on the bottom of the stream feeding 

 according to the first method. 



There seems then to be a distinct difference in the feeding 

 habits of the species of Atya and Caridina found in the Philip- 

 pines, although the first and second legs in the two genera are 

 quite similar in structure. I have never seen specimens of 

 either genus digging burrows with their first and second legs, 

 nor in fact have I ever seen them make burrows in any way. 



HABITS OF MYCTIRIS LONGICARPUS LATREILLE 



The interesting genus Myctiris contains only 2 well-defined 

 species, Myctiris longicarpus Latreille ^ and Myctiris platycheles 

 Milne-Edwards,* both of which inhabit the islands of the Pacific. 

 Up to the present time only Myctiris longicarpus has been taken 

 in the Philippines. The zoological department is indebted to 

 Dr. L. E. Griffin for specimens from Bantayan, a small island 

 off the northwest coast of Cebu; to Mr. W. Schultze for speci- 

 mens from Iwahig, on the eastern coast of Palawan; and to 

 Mr. Jose Laki for a large collection from Taytay, Palawan, 

 where I have studied the habits of these crustaceans. All of 

 these localities are in the Philippine Islands. 



Myctiris longicarpus is not a land crab. It is never seen at 



^Milne-Edwards, Histoire Naturelle des Crustaces (1837), 2, 37. 

 'Ann. Sci. Nat. (1852), 18, 154. 



