CEUSTACEA OF NEW ZEALAND. 1G5 



iiiiwctiiyiiig in liis efforts to obtain specimens for me, and I am much indebted to 

 ])im tor additional knowledge on their distribution and on the general question of 

 the underground -waters of the plains. My friend and fellow-worker, Mr. G. M. 

 Thomson, Science Master of tlie Dunedin High Schools, has assisted me in many ways 

 by his advice and criticism, and by bis kindness in supplying me with works from 

 his library that I could not otherwise have obtained. To many writers I am 

 indebted for copies of their various papers, particularly to Professor A. S. Packard 

 and to Dr. E. Monicz, wlio have sent me copies of important works by them on the 

 subterranean fauna of their respective countries; while, in common with all other 

 workers on the Amphipoda, I am greatly indebted to the Rev. T. R. R. Stebbing for the 

 very full and valuable Bibliographical Introduction to his Report on the ' Challenger ' 

 Amphipoda. Situated as I am at the Antipodes, far from tlie chief biological libraries 

 of Europe and America, to which one would have Hked to have recourse, I can perhaps 

 appreciate the full ^alue of this introduction better than those who are more favourably 

 circumstanced in this respect. 



II. Historical Sketch. 



The following historical sketch of the growth of our knowledge of the Sessile-eyed 

 Crustacea inhabiting caves and wells is in many respects very imperfect, for I am 

 unable to consult many of the original papers and works quoted; it contains, however, 

 1 trust, references to most of the more important works on the subject. In its 

 compilation I have derived much assistance from Alois Humbert's paper on Niphargus 

 indemms, var. Fovelu [62], Professor Packard's paper on the " Cave Fauna of North 

 America" [83], from Wrzesniowski's work on " Three Subterranean Amphipoda" [121], 

 and fiom the bibliographical introduction to Stebbing's " Report on the ' Challeno"er ' 

 Amphii oda " [108]. 1 have endeavoured to include the Subterranean Isopoda as well 

 as the Ami)hipoda, but the parts bearing on them are, I fear, much more incomplete 

 than those on the Amphipoda, as there is no general bibliography on the Isopoda at all 

 comparable to that which Stebbing has compiled with so much care and labour for 

 the Amphipoda. 



Feanz von I'abla Schkank, in his account of Gammarus pidex [98, p. 535] says, "Habitat in aquis, 

 rivis,fontibns ; albissimu.s dum iicitat." From the -Nvorils " in fontibus ; albissimus dum natat " Stebbing 

 [108, p. 31] thinKs it is fair to infer that Scbrank had seen one of the well-shrimps. I£ this be so it 

 would appear that we have in this work of Schrank (1781) the first mention of Subterranean Crustacea. 



W. E. Leach [72]. The first undoubted reference to "well-shrimps" ajjpears to have been made 

 bj Leach. In the article " Crustaceology " in the ' Edinburgh Encyclopaedia,' published probably in 

 1813-1814, after Gaviiitarus pulex a species is mentioned [72, p. 403] which is not numbered but 

 " which Mr. Leach considers to be different from pulex." It came from a well in London. " It 

 diflers principally from Gummarus imkx in having the upper process of the tail much longer. The 

 colour, when alive, was cinereous, but so translucent that the eyes could not be distinguished. It 

 stimds in Mr. Leach's cabinet under the specific name subterraneus." It is evident from this brief 

 description that the animal in question is not a true Guvnnarus, but is a subterranean species, probably 

 a Nipfiargus. Stebbing [108, [>. 84] thinks it is probably identical with Niphargus aquilex, Schiodte, 



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