168 THE VOYAGE OF H.M.S. CHALLENGER. 



slender slightly curved claws. From the abdominal joints proceed bifurcate articulated 

 appendages, but, as well as the whole animal, apparently|devoid of hairs. 



" This minute species swims but badly, having none of the celerity of motion so coiisjiicuous 

 among the Gammari, to which it bears resemblance in its form. It differs from every 

 genus I am acquainted with, in the antennae, in the relative dimensions of the legs, the 

 elongate and undilated form of the tarsal joint.s, and in the claws. I confess my inability 

 to allot it to its proper place among the minute Crustacea, the differences being in fact more 

 conspicuous than qualities by whicli its affinities to any[one genus can be traced. It was 

 found off Port Natal, in the summer of 1835, in lat. 37° S. and 21° E., while I was search- 

 ing for Zoex in the sea-water. It is about ^th of an inch in length." 



In 1838 Milne-Edwards suggested that this species might belong to his genus Vibilia. In the 

 Hist, des Crust., 1840, he leaves it unnoticed. Spence Bate, Brit. Mus. Catal., p. 304, 

 calls it Vihilia depilis, remarking that he has little doubt that Templeton's " figure is an 

 imperfect representation of Vihilia, and probably the young of some known species." 



The next Amphipod described is : — 



" Cerapus {Say) abditos. Plate XX. fig. 5." 



Templeton does not happen to include in the description and figures any of the distinctive marks 

 on which S. I. Smith has founded his subfamily Cerapina: with its single genus Cerapiit<, 

 Say. In extracting his specimen from its tube, he seems to have left throe pairs of the 

 peraeopods in the tube, and to have forced back one pair to an apparent attachment with 

 the second segment of the pleon. There is, however, no reason for withdrawing the species 

 from the genus Cerapus, Say, in which Templeton has placed it, its transfer to Cempodina 

 by Milne-Edwards having been based on obvious errors in the original description, and an 

 undue imjjortance attached to the number of articulations in the antennary flagella. Tem- 

 pleton's remarks appended to his description of the animal are worth quoting. " The 

 entire animal is about |th of an inch long, exclusive of the antenna:', and it presents some 

 peculiarities, with one exception, unique in this family. It has formed for itself or seized 

 upon a little membranous tube, nearly ith of an inch long, which does not resemble the 

 case of Tvlndaria, but seems composed of a series of rings, and resembles in texture the 

 papyritious covering of the pendulous wasps'-nests. It is perfectly cylindrical, of a brown 

 colour, and ojiake. When disturbed, the little animal retires within this tube, the tips of 

 the antennre alone appearing, with which it continues to investigate its neighbourhood ; and 

 whenever the feeling of perfect security prevails, it comes out as far as the second or third 

 I'ing from the head, the antennae being perpetually in motion, extended to the right or left, 

 or as if lashing the objects about it. When it wishes to change its place it seizes with its 

 claws the little fragments of sea-weed about it, and dragging, urges itself forward. I have 

 never seen it dash itself through the water by any mode similar to that of the Gammari ; 

 and I should infer that the tube was its natural place of residence from the want of legs or 

 fin-feet at the middle rings, in which it differs from C. tulularis of Say, that author figuring 

 a regular succession of both. I have observed the tail slightly protruded, and the members 

 which are sketched as attached to adjoining rings used as feelers. While watching it, 

 which I did for some hours, I was exceedingly surprized and amused to find it disappearing 

 from one end of the tube, and reappearing like magic at the other, having doubled itself up 

 towards its belly in the passage, but with such quickness, considering the narrow calibre of 

 its mansion, that I could hardly credit my eyes but that it had two heads, and indeed, a 

 gentleman who was in the pavilion with me at the time could not be persuaded to the 

 contrary. The animal, however, scarcely remained a second at this extremity, but shot 

 back to the one it had formerly occupied ; and during the time I watched it I never saw it 

 remain permanently at it, or rather I should say for a longer period than a second, or a 

 second and a half at furthest. The maxillae resemble those of Scolapendra, but are very 



