362 TRANSACTIONS LIVERPOOL BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



Long Island, Mass., there are found, according to 

 Davenport, (1) three species of Colleinbola belonging 

 to as many genera. Anurida, however, is the least 

 common among them in that locality. Among other 

 interesting observations, this author has proved that the 

 Collembola burrow to escape from the flood tide ; he 

 remarks that, with a hand lens, he has observed them as 

 they issue from the sand during the fall of the tide. 



In regard to the nature of the food of Anurida, 

 Folsom (10) states that it feeds on the soft tissues of the 

 Mollusc Libtorina littorea. Laboulbene (2) also stated 

 that its food consists of the tissues of Molluscs. He 

 remarked: — "Les Achorutes \_i.e., Anurida] mangent 

 evidemment des petits Mollusques, si abondants sur les 

 rochers submerges a la maree haute, car lorsque j'ecrasais 

 un de ces Mollusques pendant mes recherches, je voyais, 

 au bout de cinq ou six minutes, un bon nombre 

 d'Achorutes qui se reunissaient sur cette proie, et, par ce 

 moyen, je pouvais en prendre jusqu'a line douzaine a la 

 fois." In the experience of the present writer, its food is 

 dependent upon the nature of the locality which it 

 frequents, and, consequently, varies a good deal. In the 

 rocky locality of Port Erin it subsists chiefly upon the 

 dead bodies of various small marine animals, principally 

 Mollusca and Crustacea. At times numbers of Anurida 

 may be seen congregated around, and also inside, the 

 shells of dead barnacles, actively engaged in feeding upon 

 the remains of the latter. Vegetable matter appears also 

 to enter into its food occasionally, for remains of Desniids 

 and other green Algse may be found at times among the 

 contents of the mid-gut. In barren, sandy localities the 

 insect has to rely for its food upon whatever dead organic 

 matter that is obtainable. 



