﻿FIELD AND FOREST. 5 



placing bis two anterior pairs oflegs around the body behind the arms 

 of the frog, be set his mandibles into the skin of the belly. He paid 

 little attention to the frog's struggles, rapidly gnawing away the 

 viscera, and in about ten minutes bad entirely cleaned tbe abdominal 

 cavity. He then released the carcass and paid little attention to the 

 other denizens of tbe tank. 



In the evening a very small painted turtle, Chrysemys picta, was put 

 into the aquarium. Next morning his empty shell was discovered, the 

 Dytiscus having attacked him from behind and eaten into the shell, 

 devouring the viscera, leaving the head, fore limbs and one bind limb 

 nearly intact. 



The fish put within his reach he would grasp and eat, but he was 

 little disposed to attack them of his own accord. He was allowed to 

 remain undisturbed in the aquarium, and never left it except at night, 

 when we could occasionally hear him buzzing about the room. 



The Bclostoma would lie floating at the surface with his legs in 

 passive condition until a fish swam within his reach when he would 

 immediately stretch them forward and attempt to grasp him. Fre- 

 quently he succeeded and immediately fixed his proboscis into the flesh 

 of the fish. Death ensued very rapidly. From all appearances there- 

 was some benumbing paralyzing influence from the secretions ill the 

 vicinity of the proboscis. After he had sucked for a time he would 

 withdraw and insert his proboscis in a new place. He rarely made 

 three insertions, but after the second allowed the dead fish to float 

 away. 



I am informed that an examination as to the character of the saliva 

 of this genus has been made in Germany and that it was decided that 

 it contained no poison. An empirical observation would impress upon 

 the observer that the effect was otherwise. 



The Ranatra paid no attention to the vertebrate forms, but attacked 

 insects and specimens of Gammarus fasciatus, placed in the tank. 



A few weeks later a large Cambarus obcsus was put into the aquarium, 

 together with some C. propinquus. Though not seen to capture the 

 smaller craw fish, their shells were found at the bottom of the tank 

 until all were devoured. As only Cyprinids were in the jar there is no 

 probability of anything else having done the mischief. In one other case 

 he was seen to have within his grasp a minnow which he had gnawed down 

 in several places to the vertebral column. While resting on the gravel, 



