Miscellaneous. 167 



abundant, but I have not succeeded in obtaining the eggs, nor was 

 I able to keep the younger larvie alive in confinement, as they all 

 died in moulting, although the older larva3 moulted in aquaria. I 

 was therefore compelled to rely upon general resemblances and 

 measurements in my attempts to trace the metamorphosis, although 

 the series were so complete that I believe my results are worthy of 

 confidence. 



The youngest L>/siosqKiUa larva; were in the same stage as Claus's 

 larva. This stage is followed by an EricJdhus stage, which persists 

 for a number of moults with little change except the increase in 

 size and the gradual acquisition of the appendages. 



I have witnessed the change from the last form of this series into 

 the young Li/siosqnUla ; so it is now certain that the Erichthus type 

 is the larva of this genus, although it is of course possible that other 

 genera may pass through the same larval stages. 



As secondary sexual characters are rare among the higher Crus- 

 tacea, it is interesting to note that the female Li/siosquilla is much 

 larger than the male and of quite a different colour. Pully grown 

 males are from Ig to 2 inches in length, while the females are 

 from 3 to 4 inches long. The males are of a grey colour and quite 

 transparent, while the females are more opaque and of a dark olive- 

 green colour, nearly black. 



The habits of our two species are quite diflerent. LysiosquiUa 

 lives in pure sea-sand on beaches which are directly exposed to the 

 ocean swell, and it is very abundant on Bird Shoal and on the sea- 

 beach at Fort Macon. It lives in a deep cylindrical vertical burrow, 

 which goes down for several feet, and it is almost impossible to 

 procure the animals by digging. The males and females inhabit 

 different burrows, and they lie in wait for prey at the top, which is 

 arched over with sand, so that only the eyes of the animal are 

 exposed. When suitable prey comes within reach they dart out so 

 quickly that the eye can scarcely follow the motion, and, seizing the 

 prey in their large claws, they instantly retreat to the bottom of the 

 burrow, where the food is stored away, and the animal returns to 

 the mouth of the burrow to resume its watch. They seldom venture 

 more than 3 or 4 inches from the burrow ; and I have obtained only 

 one specimen which was captured in the water, although the trawl 

 often brings up an abundant supply of the much larger Squilla 

 empusa. 



In constructing its burrow, LysiosquiUa brings up the sand from 

 the bottom by armfuls, which are carried between the large claws 

 to the mouth of the hole, to be deposited as far away as the animal 

 can reach without leaving its burrow. 



The burrows are so deep that digging for the animals is almost 

 useless ; and after many unsuccessful attempts to trap them, I found 

 that it was easy to catch them by holding a piece of fish or crab near 

 the mouth of the burrow as a bait with one hand, while the other 

 hand was held ready to cut off the retreat into the burrow, by the 

 use of a tin trowel. Their movements are so very quick that many 

 escaped entirely, while others were cut in two by the trowel, 

 although many were captured alive. 



