CRUSTACEANS 39 



just above water-mark, where it devours refuse of every 

 description, 20,000 having been counted on a single small 

 sea-urchin. Many carry the eggs beneath them in the 

 manner of crabs and lobsters, and a number of species 

 construct nests. A few take up their residence within 

 jellyfish, apparently being immune to the Coelenterate's 

 stinging cells. 



Most striking of all the Amphipods perhaps are the 

 grotesque " Skeleton " Shrimps, which abound amongst 

 corallines clambering about the tangled growths in the 

 manner of looper caterpillars. To the Amphipods also 

 belong the large Whale Lice that attach themselves to 

 cetaceans by means of their strongly-hooked legs. 



The Stomatopoda or Mouth-footed Crustaceans are 

 represented by the remarkable Mantis Shrimps (Squilla) 

 found on our southern shores and attaining a large size 

 in all tropical seas. They are long flattened creatures with 

 a pair of huge scythe-like forelimbs which in general 

 structure and the sharp spines fringing their inner surface 

 recall the well-known Praying Mantis, one of the tigers 

 of the insect world. These crustaceans lay several 

 thousands of eggs which are rolled into a ball and carried 

 in the mouth of the female for a period of two or three 

 months. Mantis Shrimps though abundant are seldom 

 seen since they dig deep burrows just beyond low-water 

 mark, leaving these retreats only after dark. Being of 

 excellent flavour they are much prized for food, and in 

 many lands, especially in Italy, where they are known under 

 the name of " Scampi," it is customary to lure them into 

 traps by means of lantern lights. 



