PROTELLA PHASMA. 47 



corresponding with the extremity of the finger when 

 closed. 



The female appears to differ in no essential character 

 from the male, except in the possession of the ovigerous 

 sac, the plates of which are attached to the third and 

 fourth segments of the body. 



Col. Montagu, who was the discoverer of this species, 

 was also the first to observe the love that exists between 

 the parent and the offspring in this group of Crustacea. 

 He writes, in the seventh volume of the Transactions of 

 the Linnean Society : " While examining a female in a 

 watch-glass of sea-water under a microscope, we were 

 agreeably surprised to observe not less than ten young 

 ones crawl from the abdominal pouch of the parent, all 

 perfectly formed, and moving with considerable agility 

 on the body of the mother, holding fast by their hind 

 claws, and erecting their heads and arms." 



This species is generally of a straw colour, delicately 

 spotted with pink, fine specimens having the fingers 

 banded with pink. As in all cornuted species, the spines 

 on the head and the armature of the hands vary greatly. 

 The animal represented by Goodsir under the name of 

 C. spinosa has the occipital and dorsal horns of large size, 

 as well as those upon the second pair of hands. 



This species appears to be more abundant in the 

 southern parts of Great Britain than in the northern, 

 although we have it recorded from one extremity to the 

 other. It was first found in Devonshire by Col. Mon- 

 tagu, and we have frequently obtained it in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Plymouth. Mr. Gregor has sent it to us 

 from the Moray Frith. Dr. Fleming obtained it from 

 the Isle of Man, while Mr. Goodsir records it from 

 the Frith of Forth. The Rev. A. M. Norman has 

 taken it at Cullercoats, Northumberland, and Mr. R. Q. 



