146 COUCH ON PHYLLOSOMA COMMUNE 



Note on the Occurrence of Phyllosoma commune on the Coast of 

 Cornwall. By Jonathan Couch, E.L.S. &c 

 [Read November 5, 1857.] 

 I hate the pleasure of communicating to the Linnean Society a 

 notice of the occurrence of the Phyllosoma commune on the coast 

 of Cornwall ; and although, from an announcement in the Report 

 of the Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society for the year 1851, it 

 appears that it has been taken once before in our waters, yet as 

 no further remark is made concerning it by W. Cocks, Esq., who 

 had noticed it, and no description or figure is to be found in our 

 President's ' History of British Stalkeyed Crustacea,' it is hoped 

 that a representation of this creature, drawn from a British spe- 

 cimen, with such observations as I was able to make from an 

 example newly taken, will be acceptable to the Society. 



The specimen was captured near Polperro, in a pilchard drift-net, 

 four leagues from land, at a depth of about three fathoms from the 

 surface, on the 1st August, 1857. It attracted the particular notice 

 of the fisherman from the sparkling brilliancy of its eyes, while 

 the rest of its body was almost as transparent as glass. When 

 brought on shore a few hours afterwards, it was able to exert some 

 moderate degree of activity. It came into my possession about 

 twenty-four hours after its death, and its immersion in a bottle of 

 glycerine, the best fluid I am acquainted with for ensuring the 

 preservation of many small subjects of natural history, which it 

 effects without changing anything of their colour, and but little 

 of their transparency. 



This example is a little less than an inch in length, and of the 

 form and proportions represented in the figure which accompanies 

 this paper ; but the sketch I have made is enlarged, that I might 

 more readily represent the disposition of the parts. The body is 

 very thin, or depressed; the border of the carapace egg-shaped, 

 being broadest a little behind the middle of the length. The head 

 is represented as distinct from the carapace (thorax, M. E.) ; but 

 the separation is scarcely discernible. The eyes on long and 

 slender footstalks, which are inserted together at one point, are 

 erected divergingly : the upper part of the eyestalk is enlarged, 

 and the eye itself formed of two unequal portions, the anterior of 

 which is the larger. The principal [external] antenna? wide apart, 

 projecting beyond the eyes, with 3 joints, the lowest furnished 

 with a fine spine. The internal antenna? [antennules] appearing 

 between the footstalks of the eyes and the external antennae, and 



