ANCEUS. 17' 



friend, A. H. Haliclay, Esq., communicated to us spe- 

 cimens both of Anceus and Praniza, which he had first 

 taken in 184-7, on the shores of Strangford Lough, in 

 the North of Ireland, in some numbers, and in equal 

 proportions, in the summer, although in the month of 

 February the Praniza were much less abundant than the 

 Ancei. Mr. Haliday's specimens were taken in small 

 cavities in the surface of the clay, under stones, some- 

 times singly, oftener two, and even three and four in 

 each hole; the smaller green ones were few in com- 

 parison. The new-born young of the Praniza have all 

 the characteristic form of the parent, but the posterior 

 thoracic segments not so completely confounded to- 

 gether.* 



Referring to M. Hesse's memoir, Mr. Haliday ob- 

 served in his communication to us, that " notwithstand- 

 ing their constant association, and the fact that the 

 Anceus is always of pretty uniform size, and Praniza 

 varies from about the same down to the smallest size, 

 I should never have guessed that the latter was the larva 

 of the former ; and yet I do not understand how to com- 

 bine it with my positive observation of Praniza producing 

 young the very eyes of which (before birth) were 

 visible through the transparent integuments of the 

 parent/' We are able fully to confirm this statement, 

 as some of Mr. Haliday's specimens of the Pranizce still 

 exhibit the mass of eggs within the incubatory pouch, 

 and from others the minute young have escaped in the 

 spirit in which they are preserved. 



Mr. A. White, in his "Popular History of British 

 Crustacea," 1857, still further confused the matter by 

 observing that " there is some likelihood that Anceus may 

 prove to be one of the stages of Praniza" 



' Annals Nat. Hist. 1848, vol. i. p. 65. 



