122 New York State Museum 



clinging to hydroids and delicate algae, resembling in 

 color and often in form the objects on which it lives. It 

 holds on by the posterior feet and sways back and forth 

 like the hydroid or seaweed on which it lives, and its 

 walk is like that of our Measuring Worm. It ranges 

 from North Carolina to Cape Cod. Some species of the 

 genus may be found on every coast. Small jellylike 

 masses sometimes seen at the broad divisions of the sea- 

 weed may be compound ascidians or Sea Squirts (tuni- 

 cates). These gelatinous masses are globular or dome- 

 like, tough and usually dull in color. Several species of 

 mollusks, mostly gastropods, live among the seaweeds. 

 One of the Jingle Shells (Anomia aculeata), a scalelike 

 bivalve is found attached to the holdfasts of Fucus. Sev- 

 eral species of nudibranchs, the naked mollusks or Sea 

 Slugs may be found. They often appear like small lumps 

 of jellylike tissue when discovered and disturbed, but if 

 left unmolested will unfold their beauties. One (Eolis 

 papulosa) is yellowish gray to orange with purplish or 

 olive spots. It is probably the commonest form upon the 

 North Atlantic coast, and is found not only upon sea- 

 weeds but clinging to stones, on the piling of wharves, 

 eel-grass etc. in shallow water. This form is also found 

 on the shores of Europe. The Seaweed Snail (Littorina 

 palliata) is common on seaweeds between tide limits from 

 New Jersey to Nova Scotia. In color it is olive, yellow 

 or brown, red or mottled, approaching the color of the 

 seaweed upon which it lives, and the spire is more blunt 

 than in the Periwinkles. The Atlantic Chink Shell 

 {Lacuna vincta), closely allied to the Littorinas, occurs 

 on marine plants in sheltered places and is found in quan- 

 tity on roots of Laminaria washed in by storms. This 

 snail is very abundant on the New England coast. 



