i62 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



rupes ad littora maris. Communicavit Dom. C. Prideaux." The 

 exact locality is not given and the figure is poor ; but the type is 

 preserved in the British Museum, labelled, " West of England, C. 

 Prideaux, Esq." No further reference appears to occur till 1869, 

 when M'Intyre published an article on "Pseudo-scorpions" in 

 Hardwicke's " Science Gossip," and mentioned a large Obisium, 

 which is almost undoubtedly O. maritinium^ and which was taken at 

 Plymouth by Mr. C. Stewart, who found it rather abundantly below 

 high-water mark. In such a situation, it is added, the animals 

 would nearly always be submerged, " but doubtless the crannies of 

 the rocks which it inhabits always contain a certain amount of air." 

 Later, in 1892, Mr. Pickard-Cambridge, in figuring and describing 

 the species anew, stated that he had received it from the Devonshire 

 coast, where it was found by Mr. Bignell of Stonehouse, Plymouth, 

 under stones below high-w^ater mark ; and also from Mr. Sinel from 

 a similar situation in Jersey. 



In March 1905, Mr. Pickard-Cambridge informed me that he 

 had lately received this species from the Isle of Man ; and in June 

 Mr. Wallis Kew told me he had had it from St. Ives, Cornwall, where 

 it was collected by Mr. F. W. Wilson. 



While a guest with Professor, now Sir Alexander, Simpson at 

 Shirvan, Argyll, in September 1904, I discovered this species 

 somewhat commonly between tide-marks just below the house. 

 Henry Simpson and I had gone down to fish, but, on taking out the 

 boat, we considered the wind too strong, and, giving up our purpose, 

 we returned to land again. While Henry fastened the boat, I 

 turned over a few stones, and on the under surface of the second or 

 third stone I detected a large dark-coloured False-scorpion, which in 

 the shape of its great nippers resembled /. camb7'idgii. A few 

 seconds of suppressed excitement, while I brought my lens to bear 

 on the eyes, w^ere followed, when I saw that the creature had four 

 eyes, by that indescribable joy which accompanies the finding of 

 long-sought treasure. I knew that I had found Obisium niaritimum^ 

 and I was conscious as I gazed on it of being highly privileged in 

 seeing in its native haunts a creature which so few naturalists had 

 looked on before. My young companion entered into the excite- 

 ment of the moment, and together we carried on an enthusiastic 

 hunt, and found other eight specimens. On subsequent days I 

 spent much time studying the species and seeking to work out its 

 life-history. Altogether, twenty-three individuals were noticed, living 

 at from a few feet to several yards below high-water mark. Their 

 home is under stones firmly set in the matrix of sand and shells, 

 where in some cases their haunts may remain comparatively dry 

 when the tide is in, but in others their retreats must be soaking with 

 sea-water for the greater part of the day. It is probable, however, 

 that their choice of tightly-fitting stones is not so much for the 



