28 EXTINCT MONSTERS. 



will tell you what these are — the remains of a huge lobster.' He 

 arranged the specimens in the group before him with as much 

 ease as I have seen a young girl arranging the pieces of ivory in 

 an Indian puzzle. There is a homage due to supereminent genius, 

 which Nature spontaneously pays when there are no low feelings 

 of jealousy or envy to interfere with her operations ; and the 

 reader may well believe that it was willingly rendered on this 

 occasion to the genius of Agassiz." Agassiz himself, previous to 

 this, had considered such fragments as he had seen to be the 

 remains of fishes. As we have said before, this creature was not 

 a true lobster ; but Agassiz, when he expressed the opinion just 

 quoted, was not far off the mark, and did great service in showing 

 it to be a crustacean. There were no lobsters or scorpions at 

 that early period of the world's history, and this creature, with its 

 long "jaw-feet" and powerful tail, was a near approach to a 

 king-crab on the one hand and scorpion on the other. If living 

 now, it would no doubt command a high price at Billingsgate ; 

 but, then, it would be a dangerous thing to handle when alive, 

 and might be more troublesome to catch than our crabs or 

 lobsters. 



The front part of its body was entirely enveloped in a kind 

 of shield, called a carapace, bearing near the centre minute 

 eyes, which probably were useless, and at the corners two large 

 compound eyes, made up of numerous little lenses, such as we 

 see in the eye of a dragon-fly. This is clearly proved by certain 

 well-preserved specimens. There are five pairs of appendages, 

 all attached under or near the head. Behind the head follow 

 thirteen rings, or segments, the last of which forms the tail, 

 two at least of these bore gills for breathing. All but two of 

 them, below the mouth, must have been beautifully articulated, so 

 as to allow them to move freely, as we see in the lobster of the 

 present day. But look at that lowest and largest pair of appendages, 

 the end joints of which are flattened out, and you will see, that 

 they must have been a powerful oar-like apparatus for swimming 



