BRACHYURI. 197 



Peculiar incidents are concomitant on prolonged repose : it admits 

 encroachments on the state of the living animal^ incompatible with vital 

 sensations ; and^ first of all, it allows numerous pai'asites to found a nidus 

 amidst living matter, and themselves to live at the expense of life ; now 

 the whole, together with the limbs and other accessories large and small, 

 becomes invested by foreign matter, completely disguising, — even dis- 

 torting the true form and appearance of the specimen and all its parts, 

 from those the most familiar with them. 



But this is greatly promoted by the situation of both the subject and 

 the parasite. Thus, some escape it entirely, and the shell remains as free 

 and clean of all parasite substances and foreign matter, and of as ^dvid 

 colour, as if carefully cleansed of accidental impurities. 



Such specimens, however, are not numerous, their condition pro- 

 bably involving more peculiarities than we are commonly aware of. 



One is represented, Plate XLVIII. fig. 1, the length of the body 

 about an inch and a half, its breadth about an inch. Claws rather long 

 and slender, as are the limbs, which, armed with nails, expand five 

 inches between the opposite extremities. The rostrum is cleft, and the 

 eyes seated on peduncles, standing at a large angle to the axis of the 

 body ; which is owing to contraction of the breadth : the shell of some 

 is more irregularly triangular than that of any of either of the preceding. 

 Its colour is universally tile red. 



The apron of the male tends to an irregular quadrangular form ; 

 that of the female, of larger dimensions, is du'ected to protection of the 

 spawn, which is a close comjDact mass in its earlier stages. Then it is 

 vivid red, but becomes pale as advancing towards maturity, for the skin 

 of the capsules growing thinner with age, its consistence relaxes, and in 

 July, when in great perfection, clusters, like bunches of currants, may be 

 separated ; but they are intricate, nor easily divided, so as to be distinctly 

 seen and represented. — Plate XLIX. figs. 4, 5. 



Some years ago a fine small specimen, Plate XLIX. fig. 6, was washed 

 on board a steam vessel plying between Orkney and Shetland, during a 

 storm ; on reaching me this creature fed voraciously on most animal 

 substances. 



