NOTES ON CRUSTACEANS. 233 



no attempt at resistance when taken hold of. They kept the legs quite 

 close to the belly, instead of throwing them up in their usual attitude of 

 defence. Some time ago a monstrosity was found; it had four fingers 

 on one hand; the superfluous two were growing from the side of the 

 normal two. About the same time one of Cancer pagurus was got with 

 three fingers on one of the hands. 



Stenorynchns Phalangium. — On October 19th. a specimen came to hand 

 with zoophytes attached to the legs, not growing on them; the pieces 

 looked as if bitten off, and fixed by means of the bristles of the legs. 

 The crab seemed to have lately cast its shell, and was again getting on 

 its clothing of sponge, zoophytes, etc. Mr. Bell, in a note at page 24, 

 seems to contradict Say, who gives it as his opinion, that the pieces are 

 mechanically entangled by means of the hairs. He says: — "There is no 

 doubt that they actually grow upon them, and are attached by roots." 

 I have found them without doubt growing, and also without doubt "en- 

 tangled mechanically in the hooked hairs." May not a few pieces be at 

 first attached, and then become rooted, and propagate till the whole 

 animal is covered? Why should the slow-moving crabs have this covering? 

 It seems likely to serve as a protection from their enemies, by rendering 

 them of the colour of the ground they feed on. Is not this the case 

 with many, if not all kinds of fish? They take their colour from the 

 nature of the locality they frequent. Thus I have found small cod quite 

 red when caught among the forests of Laminaria digitata, etc. 



Hyas coarctatus. — October 13th. brought a female loaded with spawn, 

 which is of a yellow colour. On November 6th. another completely 

 covered with zoophytes growing on it, with some pieces of Flustra lying 

 horizontally, was got; it was also loaded with spawn. 



Portunus holsatus. — October 18th. added a fine specimen of this beau- 

 tiful crustacean; it was taken from a cod's stomach. A few days later 

 another specimen was detected in the stomach of a fish hooked in forty- 

 five fathoms of water, about nine miles off; the bottom was rocky. 



Portunus pusillus. — From the numbers taken from cod and haddock 

 stomachs, they seem to swarm on the rocky parts of the Frith. 



Inachus Dorsettensis. — About the same time great numbers of this spe- 

 cies were turned out of cods' stomachs; they were almost all entirely 

 covered with Balani, some of which were of very large size. This species 

 does not cast its shell yearly, or else the growth of the barnacles must 

 be astonishingly rapid, 



Ebalia Bryerii. — Seems to be most abundant in deep water, from the 

 remains found in stomachs. 



Ebelia Pennantii. — October 24th. several specimens were taken from 

 haddocks' stomachs, caught on rocky bottom in forty-five fathoms of water. 



