66 Transactions. — Zoology. 



not say. The raptorial claws were missing in my single 

 female specimen, but Mr. Hamilton tells me that those of 

 the female differed to some extent from those of the 

 male in his Napier specimens. The males are greyish in 

 colour, the general surface of the body being of a semi-trans- 

 parent white, and varyingly covered with dark spots, so as to 

 give a grey appearance. There is generally a well-marked 

 line of these along the posterior margin of the segments of the 

 thorax and abdomen, and a much broader but lighter band 

 along the anterior margin. The carapace, raptorial limbs, 

 and uropods are more sparingly marked with dots ; the telson 

 is much darker, but has white stripes along .the median and 

 submedian ridges, and the margins are also white. In most 

 of these respects the female is similar-coloured, but the cara- 

 pace is darker, and the grey colour is more distinct on the 

 sides of the thorax and abdomen, and does not extend across 

 the centres of the segments so much as in the male ; the grey 

 portions, which are rather darker than in the male, have also 

 a slight greenish tint ; and, in addition to this, the whole of 

 the central part of the segments of the abdomen is coloured a 

 bright red. This description of the colours of the animals 

 was taken originally from fresh specimens, but very little 

 change has as yet taken place in the sphit specimens, the 

 bright red of the female in particular bemg just as brilhant 

 as in the fresh specimen. 



Nothing is known as yet of the habits of this species. 

 Although widely distributed, it is, probably owing to its 

 habits, not very often taken, and most of the specimens 

 known have been taken from the stomachs of fish. Both my 

 specimens, one of Mr. Thomson's, and Professor Hutton's, 

 were obtained in this way. Professor Hutton's being from the 

 stomach of Notothenia microlepidota. Most species of the 

 group are burrowing animals ; and LysiosquUla cxcavatrix, 

 the habits of which have been fully described by Brooks, lies 

 in wait for prey in its burrow, and seldom ventures far from 

 the burrow. 



Much interest attaches to the larval forms of the Squil- 

 lida. These are transparent pelagic animals, very different 

 in appearance and in habits from the adults ; but nothing 

 special is as yet known of the larval forms of LysiosquUla 

 sinnosa. 



For convenience of comparison I have appended a table of 

 measurements of both male and female, similar to those given 

 by Brooks for LysiosquUla cxcavatrix. I have made these 

 measurements as carefully as possible ; but it must be borne in 

 mind that some of the parts are not easy to measure accurately, 

 and that they may vary to a considerable extent even on the 

 two sides of the one specimen : thus, in the male specimen 



