Crustacea, 



6685 



mostly carnivorous, and sometimes cannibals : I have seen the 

 Orchestia gluttonously feeding on an earth-worm, and others have 

 observed, when quantities abound, that the stronger prey upon the 

 weaker ; and my friend Mr. Swain tells me that once, at a picnic, in 

 Whitsand Bay, where cart-loads of Talitri were seen upon the shore, 

 a handkerchief which a lady dropped for a few minutes among them 

 was picked up completely riddled with myriads of tiny holes. This 

 would lead us to infer that they are vegetable as well as animal 

 feeders, — a fact that is confirmed by the observations of the American 

 naturalist Say, on a fresh-water amphipod of Philadelphia, which is 

 not, he says, " very choice in selection of food ; it tore out of the 

 shell a young Lymnoeus calascopium, and also ate some vegetable 

 food." The latter we may also infer, to a greater extent, may be the 

 food of some species among the isopods. We find that the Idotea 

 partakes of the colour of the weed among which it is found. Not 

 perceiving that it has the chameleon-like power of changing its colour 

 at will, I am inclined to believe that it is a vegetable feeder, and that 

 the colour of the animals is dependant upon the colour of the food 

 made use of. The Idotea taken among the green Ulva is of a com- 

 plexion scarcely distinct ; while that found among the dark Fuci par- 

 takes of the same brown hue as the weed. But the general habit of 

 these is to hunt among the tall zoophytes and the creeping weeds for 

 infusorial animals that dwell among the branches. 



But whether they prey on living or dead, either animal or vegetable 

 food, they seek and choose out that which they prefer, — an evident 

 sign that the pleasure of taste is sought to be gratified as well as 

 hunger appeased ; for the hungry crab will refuse the tainted meat 

 which the lobster devours. 



The sense of taste has no especial organ. Even in the higher 

 animals it is only a developed feature in the consciousness of the 

 surface upon which the food is brought into contact; and we can 

 scarcely expect to find it other in that of lower forms of life, where 

 probably it is present in a considerably less perfect state. 



The food which the animal devours remains not in the mouth, but, 

 after being torn off' by the powerful mandibles, is passed instantly 

 through the short oesophagus into the stomach, where it undergoes 

 the different processes of trituration and digestion. The food is 

 swallowed eagerly, sometimes one extremity of a piece being in the 

 stomach before the other is in the mouth. I recollect once feeding a 

 poor little fellow that appeared to be very hungry, having been neg- 

 lected probably for some days. The food I gave him, a piece of 



