DROMIA VULGARIS. 



371 



very acute at the point, and is itself furnished with minute 

 hairs along its sides. 



The first intimation of the present species as a native of 

 Britain, occurs in an announcement by Mr. John Edward 

 Gray, at a meeting- of the Zoological Club of the Linnsean 

 Society, as long since as June 22nd, 1824. These were 

 stated to have been seen by that gentleman in Billingsgate 

 Market, amongst some oysters, which had been brought 

 from Whitstable Bay, on the Kentish coast. This fact is 

 recorded in the " Zoological Journal, ''' Vol. I. p. 419. In 

 the " Zoologist," 1848, p. 2325, occurs a notice of no fewer 

 than nine full sized specimens having been dredged on the 

 coast of Sussex. Mr, Newman gives the details of its 

 occurrence, and a figure of the species, having received 

 it from Mr. George Ingall, About the same time my 

 lamented friend Mr. Dixon, of Worthing, sent me three 

 specimens which had been procured off Selsey Bill. Mr. 

 Newman alluding to Linnceus's name of an allied species, 

 cancer " dormlal^'' supposes it to refer to its sedentary and 

 lethargic habits. Linnffius was, however, too good a 

 scholar thus to render a derivative from dormio ; it is 

 plainly a misprint for dromia, from the Greek A§6(/jOijv, a 

 little running crab ; and in the " Amoenitates Academics," 

 Linuffius himself gives the correct spelling. 



I some years since received numerous young specimens 

 from Sicily, every one of which had the carapace entirely 

 covered with a sponge which had grown over it, concealing 

 even the two hinder pairs of legs, which were closely 

 pressed against the back, and rendered immoveable. It is 

 a common Mediterranean species. 



