470 THE GLASSY ERICTHUS. 



Our first example of these odd-looking creatures is the CHAMELEON-SHRIMP, perhaps the 

 most common of its kind. This species is abundant on European coasts, and derives its 

 popular name from the extreme variability of its coloring. It seems to alter according to the 

 locality in which it resides. Those, for example, which live upon a sandy coast are of a gray 

 hue, those which are found among the large dark sea-weeds are brown, and those that prefer 

 the ulva and zostera beds are green, like the vegetation among which they live. These 

 creatures are sometimes called Opossom-shrimps, from a curious modification of their structure. 

 The last two feet are furnished with an appendage that forms a sort of pouch. In the male 

 this pouch is small, but in the female it is large, and capable of containing a large number of 

 eggs, which are carried about by the crustacean just as the opossum carries its young. 



In the Northern seas these Opossum-shrimps exist in vast multitudes, and form much 

 of the food on which the great whale of those seas depends for its subsistence. Several 

 species are thus eaten, and one of them, Mysis flexuosus, is largely eaten by the enormous 

 shoals of salmon that visit these regions in the months of July and August, thereby aiding in 

 giving to the fish that fineness of condition and fulness of flesh which ought to be possessed 

 by a well-nurtured salmon. These creatures are fond of congregating at the mouths of rivers, 

 probably because they find plenty of food in such localities, and during the winter, haunt the 

 whole line of coast. 



Many species of Opossum-shrimps are found upon European shores, and can be captured 

 by the simple plan of hauling up masses of sea-weed, and seizing the little crustaceans before 

 they can escape. 



Another example of these beings is the CLUB-HORNED PHYLLOSOME, a member of another 

 and a very remarkable family. These crustaceans are in the habit of floating on the surface 



of the water, extending their legs, and there 

 lying quite at their ease. The body is beauti- 

 fully transparent, and it would be almost 

 impossible to see the Phyllosome were it not 

 that the eyes are of a most beautiful blue, and 

 serve as indications of their owner's presence. 

 This species is a native of the Atlantic Ocean. 

 The name Phyllosoma is derived from the 

 Greek, and signifies Leaf -bodied. One or two 

 examples of this creature have been found 

 floating near the Channel Islands. All the 

 members of this family have the body exceed- 

 ingly flat and leaf-like, formed by the cara- 

 pace and part of the thorax. The abdomen is 

 extremely small in proportion to the enor- 

 mous size of the cuirass, and the limbs are 



FHYLLOsoME.-pAvto.oma. so formed that they can be spread from the 



body so as to present a large radiating out- 

 line. Our illustration is a true representation of a rare species of this family. It is drawn in 

 natural size. 



The two next examples belong to the remarkable genus of the Stomapod Crustaceans. 

 In these creatures the upper part of the body is defended by a single and large cuirass, 

 covering much of the head, being wide and free behind. The members of the genus Ericthus 

 have the cuirass enormously developed, prolonged in front into a kind of beak, which 

 projects over the head, and having behind several strong and rather long spines. These 

 creatures have smaller claws than is found to be the case with the generality of the family, and 

 all the limbs are of only moderate dimensions. The last segment of the abdomen is developed 

 into a wide and flat fan-like blade. The eyes are large, round, and set on stout footstalks. 

 The GLASSY ERICTHUS derives its name from the translucency of its integuments, and the 

 ARMED ERICTHUS is so called in consequence of the sharp spines that defend its shield. Both 

 these species are inhabitants of the Atlantic. 



