96 SEA-SHORE LIFE 



It becomes about ten inches in length, and lives in long, winding 

 burrows below low tide level. It extends from Florida to Cape 

 Cod. The carapace, or back shield, of the creature is short and soft, 

 while the abdomen is abou.t three times as long as the carapace and 

 is broad, flat and segmented. The large pair of feelers end in 

 three branches, while at the liase of each of the small feelers there 

 is a broad, flat scale having its edges fringed with hairs. The eye- 

 stalks are curiously bent, and project above the head. The last 

 joint of the great claw is Ijeiit forward over the secojid joint, and is 

 armed with six sharp spines which fit into corresioonding sockets 

 at the bott(3m of a groove on the outer side of the second joint. 

 This constitutes a formidable weapon, and serves in the cajJture of 

 many sorts of marine animals upon which the Sqidlla feeds. There 

 are three pairs of weak walking legs which arise from the first 

 three segments of the abdomen. The leaf-like, hair-edged gills, 

 are seen attached to the lower surface of the al)dominal segments. 

 The posterior end of the body is blunt but beset with sharp spines, 

 while a pair of spiny jointed flippers arise from each side. 



The Squilla is an active creature, and when seized it makes 

 effective use of its sharp claws and tail spines, and will inflict a 

 painful wound. It is very attractively colored, for the body is pale 

 green, each segment being bordered posteriorly with dark green 

 and edged with bright yellow. The tail is tinged with rose color 

 and mottled with yellow, green and black. It is nocturnal, remain- 

 ing hidden away in its burrow during the day, and wandering about 

 at night in search of prey. The eggs are laid within the burrow 

 and a current of water is made to flow over them by faiming with 

 the abdominal appendages. The transparent larvas are found, dur- 

 ing the summer, swimming at the suiface. In the Mediterranean 

 and tropical Pacific various species of Squilla are highly esteemed 

 as food. The species eaten in Tahiti is the most delicately flavored 

 crustacean the writer has ever partaken of, and it is possible that 

 our Squilla may also be palatable. Certainly the large species of 

 the Florida coast and Bahamas bears a close resemblance to the 

 edible one of Samoa and Tahiti. 



THE SAND FLEAS 



These little crustaceans live upon our beaches, remaining dur- 

 ing the day in burrows under heaps of decaying sea weeds upon 



