CAPRELLA LINEARIS. 5d 
pulling themselves in an instant up to it, then stretching 
out their long arms in every direction, strongly reminds 
one of the spider-monkeys of South America.” * 
In 1854 Mr. P. H. Gosse sent us some minute speci- 
mens of Caprelle which he had found in considerable 
numbers on the rays of a small specimen of Solaster pap- 
posa, which we have always considered as the young of 
Caprella linearis, with which they agree in their general 
character; but the second segment of the pereion is not 
longer than the first and the superior antennz are 
scarcely longer than the inferior; it is a remarkable 
fact that some of the specimens, being females, are fur- 
nished with the incubatory pouch. As these animals (of 
which we give figures as a vignette on the next page) are 
only one-tenth of an inch in length, we must either con- 
clude that they are imperfectly-developed specimens of 
C. linearis, and that they are endowed with the capability 
of reproduction before they have attained to their adult 
form and dimensions; or that they are a species distinct 
in themselves, exhibiting the character of an imperfectly- 
developed specimen of C. linearis. 
Moreover, it is singular that they should have been 
found in great abundance in this solitary instance, for we 
are not aware of any having been similarly taken in any 
other instance. 
If they be young animals we must assume them to 
have been of a single brood; but if so, it is a curious 
feature in their history that the brood should remain 
associated until the females were old enough to carry ova, 
and that this latter circumstance should occur while the 
animals were still so small. 
Since the above has been written, Mr. Norman has 
r 4 s + . . . 
* Gosse’s Rambles of a Naturalist in Devonshire. 
