530 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



Norwich, is so familiar, and so esteemed by naturalists, that 

 I consider it a duty to transfer the record to these pages. If 

 this remarkable genus be introduced in the Fauna of Holland, 

 as undoubtedly it will be on the faith of Mr. Southwell's note, 

 which I now reprint, there can be no reasonable doubt that it 

 will eventually make its appearance in that of Britain. 



" I have examined a tine specimen of Limulus Polyphemus, 

 taken in July last, by the Yarmouth trawl-boats, about eleven 

 miles off the Schelling Light, on the Dutch coast, in about 

 ten fathoms water. Dr. Norman, of Yarmouth, tells me that 

 certainly four have been taken, perhaps five, two of which are 

 recorded in 'Land and Water' as L. longispina. I have not 

 seen these specimens, but doubtless they are the same as the 

 one which I have examined. A king crab is also recorded in 

 ' Land and Water,' of 26ih April last, as having been taken 

 on the coast of North Wales: an editorial note appended 

 says that it is a North-American species, and could not have 

 been caught in North Wales. There can be no doubt, how- 

 ever, as to the locality of those brought in by the Yarmouth 

 fishermen. — T. Soutlnvell ; Norwich, September 12, 1873." 

 (Zool. S.S. 3740.) 



Lim»dus Polyphemus is a native of North America, and 

 frequents sandy shores, burying itself in the sand. Natural 

 History books tells us that this habit is induced by a desire 

 " to escape from the heat of the sun, which would be fatal to 

 it." This may be so, but a i^w years back we had several 

 living specimens of Polyphemus in the fish-house of the 

 Zoological Gardens, and these exhibited at all times a 

 propensity to burrow, whether the weather was hot or cold, 

 sunshiny or cloudy. Other species of the genus Limulus 

 inhabit the waters of the Eastern Archipelago, of India, 

 China, and Japan : the long bayonet of one species inhabiting 

 the Moluccas, and called the Molucca crab (Crabe des 

 Moluques), is used by the natives as a spear or arrow, and is 

 said to inflict dangerous wounds. In North America Poly- 

 phemus is familiarly known as the " stewpan-fish" (Casserole), 

 from its resemblance in shape to that useful culinary utensil ; 

 and the shell, after the body and legs have been removed, is 

 frequently used for ladling water. Lcconte, the American 

 entomologist, tells us in addition that in the United States 

 king crabs are sometimes given to the pigs as food; and 



