276 Mr. W. Thompson on the Crustacea of Ireland. 



Inachus leptochirus, Leach, Mai. pi. 22 b ; Edw. Crust, t. i. p. 289. 



In the 7th vol. of the ' Annals/ I noticed an example of this spe- 

 cies having been dredged in Clifden bay, Connemara, during a na- 

 tural-history tour made to that quarter by Mr. R. Ball, Mr. E. Forbes, 

 Mr. Hyndman, and myself; and that about the same time a specimen 

 was procured by Mr. R. Patterson in Belfast bay. Subsequently, I 

 have seen specimens from the latter locality in the Ordnance collec- 

 tion. 



Inachus dorynchus, Leach, Mai. pi. 22. f. 7. & 8; Edw. Crust, t. i. 

 p. 288. 

 Among a number of Crustacea dredged in Belfast bay in the sum- 

 mer of 1838 by my friend Dr. J. L. Drummond, and kindly sent to 

 me, was an example of this species. Specimens from the same loca- 

 lity are in the Ordnance collection. 



Pisa tetraodon, Leach, Mai. pi. 20 ; Edw. Crust, t. i. p. 305 ; Desm. 

 pi. 22. f. 1. 



In the collection of Mr. R. Ball are two examples of this species 

 which were obtained at Roundstone, Connemara. 



In August 1841, I found several of the P. tetraodon thrown ashore 

 at Compton, Isle of Wight. 



Hyas aranea, Leach, Mai. pi. 21 a; Edw. Crust, t. i. p. 312. 

 Cancer aranea, Penn. vol. iv. p. 11. pi. 9. f. 1.* 



Mr. Templeton has noticed this species as taken at Carrickfergus ; 

 and native specimens are in Mr. J. V. Thompson's collection. It has 

 been obtained at Youghal and Dublin by Mr. R. Ball. We take it 

 by dredging in the loughs of Strangford and Belfast, where too it is 

 commonly thrown ashore. In the estuary at little more than half a 

 mile from Belfast, a number of large specimens of this crab were cap- 

 tured in the month of October 1839, on the hooks attached to hand- 

 lines, much to the surprise of the fishermen, who had never met with 

 them so near the town before, or in brackish water. The lug- worm 

 (Lumbricus marinus) was the bait attacked in this instance by the 

 crabs. Hyas aranea was taken in the dredge at Bundoran, on the 

 western coast, by our party in July 1840, and very small living spe- 

 cimens were found under stones between tide-marks at Lahinch, on 

 the coast of Clare. In Mr. Hyndman's cabinet are two crabs of this 

 species with oysters attached to their backs. The oyster (Ostrea 

 edulis) on the larger crab is 3 inches in length, and five or six years 

 old, and is covered with many large Balani. The "shell" or cara- 

 pace of the crab is but 2^ inches in length, and hence it must, At- 

 las-like, have borne a world of weight upon its shoulders. The 

 presence of this oyster affords interesting evidence that the Hyas 

 lived several years after attaining its full growth. Both crabs and 

 oysters, though dead, were brought to Mr. Hyndman in a fresh state. 

 The hairs on the body and legs of specimens in my collection are 

 longer in the small than in the large individuals. On the north-east 



* This bad figure is not referred to by Leach. 



