Chap. II. 



THE SPECIES OF MELITA. 



9 



not be inherited from a common ancestor, and could 

 scarcely be accordant in their construction. If there were 

 any such accordance not referable to accidental resem- 

 blance among them, it would have to be laid in the scale as 

 evidence against the correctness of Darwin's views. I 

 shall show hereafter how in this case the result, far from 

 presenting such contradictions, was rather in the most 

 complete harmony with what might be predicted from 

 Darwin^s theory. 



A second example. — We are already acquainted with 

 four species of Melita {M. valida, settles, anisocliir, and 



Fig. 1 



Fresnelii\ and I can add a fifth (fig. 1), in which the 

 second pair of feet bears upon one side a small hand of 

 the usual structure, and on the other an enormous 

 clasp-forceps. This want of symmetry is something so 



^ Fig. 1. Melita exilli n. sp., male, enlarged five times. The large 

 branchial lamellae are seen projecting between the legs. 



