198 PORCELLANADJE. 



than it is broad, the lateral margins with strong acute 

 spines directed forwards ; the rostrum short, broad, trian- 

 gular, terminating in a strong acute spine, and with four 

 others on each side, of which the posterior is the smallest. 

 The first joint of the internal antennee short, and enlarged 

 on the outer side, strongly spined anteriorly ; external an- 

 tennfe as long as the whole of the body from the rostrum to 

 the tail. External pedipalps longer than the rostrum, the 

 third joint longer than the second ; the latter trigonous 

 with a regular row of small teeth on the inner edge ; the 

 former with a few spines on the outer margin. Anterior 

 feet broad, flattened, the arm and wrist strongly spined on 

 the inner edge, without spines on the outer ; the hand with 

 smaller spines on the outer edge, none on the inner ; the 

 surface covered with small scale-like tubercles. The se- 

 cond, third, and fourth pairs of legs with a row of small 

 regular spines on the anterior margin. 



The general colour of this species is a greenish brown ; 

 but some which I procured at Bognor were tinged with 

 red. 



Length of the body from the rostrum to the end of the 

 tail, three inches ; such was the length of some of the speci- 

 mens which I obtained on the Sussex coast, but ordinarily 

 it is much smaller. 



The first distinct account of this species appears to be 

 that of Montagu, which Leach quotes from his MSS. It 

 is, however, a common species all along the southern and 

 western coast. I have specimens from Cornwall, Devon- 

 shire, Dorsetshire, and Sussex. The largest I have seen 

 were procured by myself at Bognor, where they are often 

 taken in considerable numbers in prawn and lobster pots. 

 It is recorded as the most common Irish species, by Mr. 

 Thompson, who observes that it is found on all the coasts 



