﻿246 
  COLLECTIONS 
  FROil 
  MELANESIA. 
  

  

  gascar 
  {Rev. 
  Deans 
  Cowan) 
  ; 
  Mauritius 
  (Lady 
  F. 
  Cole) 
  ; 
  Rodriguez 
  

   {O. 
  Gulliver); 
  Indian 
  Ocean, 
  Celebes, 
  Macassar, 
  &c. 
  (coll. 
  Dr. 
  

   Bleeker) 
  ; 
  Keeling 
  Islands 
  (Lieut. 
  Burnahy, 
  R.N.) 
  ; 
  various 
  islands 
  

   of 
  the 
  Fiji 
  group 
  (H.M.S. 
  ' 
  Herald 
  ') 
  ; 
  Samoa 
  Islands, 
  Upolu 
  (Rev. 
  

   S. 
  J. 
  Whitmee) 
  ; 
  Sandwich 
  Islands 
  ( 
  U.S. 
  Exploring 
  Expedition 
  and 
  

   W. 
  H. 
  Pease) 
  ; 
  besides 
  others 
  without 
  special 
  or 
  with 
  insufficiently 
  

   authenticated 
  locality. 
  

  

  All 
  the 
  Australian 
  examples 
  I 
  have 
  seen, 
  with 
  one 
  exception, 
  

   appear 
  to 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  variety 
  (as 
  at 
  most 
  I 
  consider 
  it) 
  described 
  

   by 
  Milne-Edwards 
  as 
  intermedins. 
  One, 
  however, 
  of 
  the 
  specimens 
  

   obtained 
  at 
  AVest 
  Island 
  (No. 
  149) 
  must, 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  its 
  colora- 
  

   tion, 
  be 
  referred 
  to 
  the 
  variety 
  designated 
  tlml-ujar 
  by 
  Owen. 
  The 
  

   colour 
  is 
  not 
  indicative 
  of 
  geographical 
  races 
  or 
  subspecies, 
  since 
  of 
  

   this 
  latter 
  variety 
  I 
  have 
  examined 
  specimens 
  both 
  from 
  the 
  Mau- 
  

   ritius 
  and 
  the 
  Sandwich 
  Islands. 
  Mr. 
  Kingsley, 
  in 
  his 
  recent 
  

   "Synopsis 
  of 
  the 
  Grapsidse,"* 
  does 
  not 
  regard 
  these 
  forms 
  even 
  as 
  

   varieties, 
  but 
  unites 
  them 
  all 
  under 
  the 
  one 
  designation 
  M. 
  messor. 
  

  

  90. 
  Chasmagnathus 
  (Paragrapsus) 
  laevis, 
  Dana. 
  

  

  A 
  male 
  and 
  female 
  from 
  Port 
  Jackson, 
  0-7 
  fms. 
  (one 
  numbered 
  

   104), 
  are 
  referred 
  here. 
  They 
  differ 
  somewhat 
  from 
  the 
  New- 
  

   Zealand 
  examples 
  which 
  I 
  suppose 
  belong 
  to 
  this 
  species, 
  in 
  the 
  

   British-Museum 
  collection, 
  in 
  having 
  but 
  very 
  few 
  or 
  no 
  yellow 
  

   spots 
  on 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  carapace. 
  In 
  the 
  New-Zealand 
  examples 
  

   (SoiverJri/), 
  and 
  others 
  without 
  definite 
  locality 
  in 
  the 
  Museum 
  col- 
  

   lection, 
  both 
  carapace 
  and 
  legs 
  are 
  plentifully 
  mottled 
  with 
  yellow, 
  

   and 
  the 
  front 
  is 
  perhaps 
  a 
  trifle 
  more 
  rounded 
  at 
  its 
  lateral 
  angles 
  ; 
  

   but 
  in 
  other 
  particulars 
  the 
  specimens 
  are 
  so 
  nearly 
  alike 
  that 
  I 
  do 
  

   not 
  venture 
  to 
  regard 
  them 
  as 
  belonging 
  to 
  distinct 
  species. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Kingsley, 
  in 
  his 
  " 
  Synopsis 
  of 
  the 
  Grapsidte 
  " 
  above 
  referred 
  to 
  

   (p. 
  222), 
  has 
  referred 
  to 
  the 
  synonyms 
  of 
  this 
  species. 
  He 
  unites 
  

   the 
  genera 
  Chasmag 
  nathus 
  and 
  Paragrapsus, 
  and 
  the 
  distinctions 
  

   between 
  the 
  two 
  are 
  certainly 
  very 
  slight 
  ; 
  but 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  convenient 
  

   to 
  reserve 
  the 
  name 
  Paragrapsus 
  as 
  a 
  subgeneric 
  designation, 
  at 
  

   least, 
  for 
  the 
  species 
  with 
  less 
  convex 
  body 
  and 
  broader 
  less 
  deflexed 
  

   front, 
  which, 
  in 
  what 
  may 
  be 
  regarded 
  as 
  the 
  typical 
  Chasmagnathi 
  

   (e. 
  g. 
  C. 
  convexus 
  and 
  C. 
  gra^iulatus), 
  resembles 
  that 
  of 
  Helice 
  tridens 
  

   in 
  being 
  strongly 
  curved 
  downward, 
  with 
  an 
  arcuated 
  anterior 
  

   margin 
  that 
  does 
  not 
  project 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  line 
  over 
  the 
  antennulary 
  

   region. 
  

  

  The 
  range 
  of 
  C. 
  Icevis, 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  at 
  present 
  ascertained, 
  is 
  restricted 
  

   to 
  the 
  north 
  and 
  south-eastern 
  shores 
  of 
  Australia 
  and 
  the 
  New- 
  

   Zealand 
  coasts. 
  

  

  91. 
  Sesarma 
  l)idens, 
  De 
  Haan 
  ? 
  

  

  Port 
  Curtis, 
  7-9 
  fms. 
  (No. 
  85). 
  Two 
  specimens 
  (males). 
  

  

  These 
  examples 
  are 
  referred 
  with 
  little 
  hesitation 
  to 
  S. 
  hidens, 
  

  

  * 
  Proc. 
  Acad 
  Nat. 
  Hci. 
  Philad. 
  p. 
  190 
  (1880). 
  

  

  