294 THE SEA SHORE 



the only representative of the class likely to be met with by the 

 sea-shore collector. 



It will be seen by our illustration that this creature by no means 

 resembles a typical spider. The powerful jaws, really modified 

 antennae, that are such formidable weapons in the latter, together 

 with other appendages of the head, are undeveloped in the shore 

 spider, and the head is prolonged forward to 

 form a rigid beak with the mouth at the sum- 

 mit, and the head and thorax together form a 

 cephalothorax of four distinct segments, each 

 of which bears a pair of legs. Further, the 

 cephalothorax forms almost the whole of the 

 Fio. 219. THE body, for the abdomen, usually so large in 

 SHORE SPIDER spiders, is here represented by a mere tubercle. 

 The shore spider is unable to swim, but crawls 

 about among the weeds and stones of the bottom, clinging firmly 

 by means of the curved claws of its eight thick legs, and is 

 protected by its dull grey colour which closely resembles that of 

 the encrusted stones among which it spends the greater portion 

 of its existence. It may sometimes be found hiding under stones 

 near low-water mark, but is far more commonly seen among the 

 'rubbish ' hauled in by the trawl. 



We shall conclude our brief survey of the marine arthropods by 

 a short account of the insect life of the sea shore, referring to a few 

 of the more prominent forms and observing some of their habits ; 

 but since it is probable that some of our readers are not well 

 acquainted with the general characters of this interesting class of 

 animal life, it will be advisable to precede our remarks by a short 

 summary of their principal distinguishing features, more particularly 

 those in which they differ from the other arthropods. 



Insects, then, may be defined as those arthropods in which the 

 body is divided into three distinct parts the head, composed of 

 from four to six fused segments, and bearing as many pairs of 

 appendages ; the thorax, formed of three segments, each of which 

 gives attachment to a pair of legs; and the abdomen, composed of 

 eight segments that bear no appendages. 



The head of an insect is furnished with a pair of compound eyes, 

 very similar in structure to those of a crustacean, and often, in 

 addition, a cluster of simple eyes ; also a pair of antennae, usually 

 composed of many joints. These antennae are important organs of 

 touch, and are employed, at least by many forms, as a means of 



