Mr. W. Thompson on the Crustacea of Ireland. 279 



in season at Belfast and Dublin* — between Christmas and Easter is 

 the period mentioned by Leach. As this is not a littoral species it 

 may be worth remarking, that several very small individuals (their 

 carapace an inch in breadth) were found by Mr. E. Forbes and my- 

 self in the month of July, frequenting the shore atLahinch between 

 tide-marks. 



Pilumnus hirtellus, Leach, Mai. pi. 12; Edw. Crust, t. i. p. 417 ; 



Desm. p. 111. pi. 2. f. 1. 

 Cancer hirtellus, Penn. vol. iv. p. 9. pi. 6. f. 1. 



This appears to be a widely distributed species, occurring in small 

 numbers where found. It is enumerated among the native Crustacea 

 in Mr. J. V. Thompson's catalogue ; and in the first vol. of the 

 Ordnance Survey is noticed as obtained at Carnlough, county of 

 Antrim. In the course of a day's dredging in the loughs of Strang- 

 ford and Belfast, one or two individuals of this species have generally 

 been procured by us. Mr. R. Ball has taken it on the Dublin coast by 

 dredging, and has likewise found it inhabiting the beach between tide- 

 marks at Portmarnock — by Mr. E. Forbes and myself it was similarly 

 found at Lahinch. Specimens from Youghal are, in Mr. Ball's col- 

 lection, and from Courtmasherry harbour — also in the county of 

 Cork in Mr. G. J. Allman's. The figures of this species given by 

 Leach and Pennant are good and characteristic : Desmarest's figure 

 (Consid. Crust, pi. 11. f. 1.) is not so. 



Pirimela denticulata, Leach, Mai. pi. 3 ; Edw. Crust, t. i. p. 424 ; 

 Desm. p. 106. pi. 9.f. 1. 



Of this small and handsomely sculptured crab I have seen but 

 two Irish examples. The first was found amongst a number of species 

 of various kinds collected on the coast of Antrim and Down by Dr. 

 J. L. Drummond, and kindly submitted to my investigation. The 

 other was obtained alive by Mr. E. Forbes and myself between tide- 

 marks at Lahinch on the coast of Clare. 



In August 1841, I found three specimens washed ashore atComp- 

 ton, Isle of Wight. 



Carcinus mcenas, Leach, Mai. pi. 5 ; Edw. Crust, t. i. p. 434. 

 Cancer msenas, Penn. vol. iv. p. 6. pi. 2. f. 1. 



This species is common around the coast of Ireland, and is popu- 

 larly known by the name of parten in the north, the crab, par excel- 

 lence, being the Cancer pagur us \ . On gravelly, sandy, and muddy 



* Rutty, writing seventy years ago, remarks — u The greatest quantity of 

 crabs and lobsters supplying Dublin comes from the Isle of Man ; but the 

 best are those from Lambay, Howth and Skerries ; for the former by longer 

 carriage and agitation fret and waste themselves, and thereby become much 

 worse food. They are also brought from the Saltee Islands, about 80 miles 

 from Dublin, by the fishermen of Bullock, Dunleary and Howth." — Nat. 

 Hist. Dublin, vol. i. p. 374. 



f This species being distinguished as the crab, I should hope with Mr. T. 

 Bell (Zool. Trans.) that it were considered the type of the genus Cancer. 



