308 A. E. Verrill — Decapod Crustacea of Bermuda. 



southern coast of New England, and of the early stages of the adult 

 form, ill abundance, on Fire Island Beach, on the south side of Long 

 Island, in Sei)tember, 1870. Probably it rarely if ever survives the 

 winter so far north. In April, 1872, in company with Professor 

 Smith, I found the young of the previous year abundant and very 

 agile on the outer beaches at Great Egg Harbor, N. J. These had 

 the carapace about 18 to 24™'" broad. 



At Bermuda we found this crab common on the shell-sand beaches 

 of the south shore, near Tuckers Town and elsewhere, and also on 

 the north shore at Shelly Bay, Lorig Bird Island and Bailey Bay. 

 One specimen was caught and ]>rought in by a dog, at night. Sev- 

 eral large Bermuda specimens in the Yale Museum were collected 

 by Dr. C. Ilartt Merriam, April, 1881. Two examples were in Mr. 

 Goode's collection. It has been obtained by several other collectors. 

 Tiie largest that I have seen were obtained at Coopei''s Island, by 

 the Field Nat. Hist. Museum Expedition. None of the females that 

 I have seen carried egirs, though they have been taken in spring, 

 midsummer, and autumn. Perhaps the number examined was not 

 lar<j-e enousfh to made this negative evidence of much value. 



Family GECARCINID^ I\r.-Edw. Land Crabs. 



These land crabs can readily be recognized by their very convex 

 surface, with the margins rounded and dilated over and in front of 

 the branchial regions. The front is strongly bent downward and 

 moderately wide ; orbits and eye-stalks not very large. Chelipeds 

 of the adult males large and powerful, more or less unequal. Distal 

 joints of the legs granulated and fringed. 



Gecarcinus lateralis (Frein.) Guerin. Common Land Crab. 



Ocypoda lateralis Freminville. Aun. Sci. nat., iii, p. 234, 1835. 

 Gecarcinus lateralis Guerin, Icon. Regne Anim., pi. v, fig. 1. Rankin, Crust. 

 Bermuda, p. 525, 190(1. 

 M. J. Rathbnn, Bracli. and Macrnra Porto Rico, p. 14, 1901. 

 Verrill, these Trans., vol. xi, p. 70(5, fig. 57 ; The Bermuda Is., i, p. 294, 

 fig. 57. 

 Gecarcinus lauostoma fpar.s) Miers, Voy. Challenger, vol. xvii, p. 218. 1886. 

 Young, Stalk-eyed Crustacea, p. 241, 1900. 



Figure 2. 



Commonly the carapace, in life, is mostly of a deep reddish brown 



or plum-color ; often this color is replaced posteriorly by a wide 



transverse band of lighter color spotted with yellow ; this band 



extends forward, along each side, becoming narrower and darker, dis- 



