SAND-SKIPPER, 



195 



be recognised on plate m, fig. 2. From its hopping 

 propensities, it goes by the name of Sand-hopper, 

 or Sand-skipper. 



It generally lives on the shore, burrowing deep 

 holes in the sand, where it lies concealed until the 

 waves again cover the sands. And if fine speci- 

 mens are wanted for collection or preservation, 

 they may easily be obtained by digging into the 

 sand with those wooden spades, of which there is 

 no lack wherever there are children, and so poun- 

 cing on the sand-skippers before they can recover 

 their alarm at so sudden an entrance into the 

 light of day. They may also be found plentifully 

 swimming about in the rock-pools, or concealed 

 in the masses of ulva or enteromorpha that mostly 

 fringe those miniature ponds. If a basketful of 

 these weeds be plucked at random, and then 

 thrown into a large vessel of sea-water, some 

 twenty or thirty sand-skippers will generally be 

 seen swimming about, and may so be captured. 



They feed on the green sea-weeds, and would 

 be hurtful inhabitants of the aquarium did they 

 not serve as food for the anemones, crabs, and 

 other living creatures that are generally kept in 

 such receptacles. It is surprising how soon they 

 vanish from the seen 5, as soon, indeed, as a stock 

 of carp and roach vanish if placed in a pond 

 o2 



