42 



THREE CRUISES OF THE " BLAKE." 



Fig. 236. — Catapagurus Sharreri. |. (S. I. Smith.) 



sea-anemone and a crab from shallow water was already known, 

 the polyp deriving most of its food from the remnants left by 



the crab, and the latter 

 in its turn being hidden 

 by the Actinia while 

 creeping towards its 

 prey. 



Ostraconotus sjmtii- 

 Jipes, dredged from a 

 little over 100 fathoms, 

 is apparently the most 

 aberrant of all the her- 

 mit-crabs. It appears 

 to live without a house ; 

 the carapace is flexible, 

 and resembles that of the Galatheoidea ; the tail is so rudi- 

 mentary that the bunches of eggs are supported by the feet. 



The large number of Galatheoidea discovered is another 

 prominent feature of the " Blake " collection. They were pre- 

 \aouslv represented in our fauna by one imperfectly known spe- 

 cies. They are very characteristic of deep water in depths of 

 from 300 to more than 2,000 fathoms. This group of species 

 is well illustrated by Ifunidoj^sis rostrata. (Fig. 237.) Some 

 of the Galatheoidea have enormously long legs, with which to 

 hunt for their prey in deep mud or in hidden corners, Munida. 

 (Fig. 238.) Some of the small and weak forms of the group, 

 Diptychus, are exceedingly abundant in 100 to 700 fathoms 

 among the branches of gorgonians, and others in the interior of 

 some of the delicate siliceous sponges ; they appear greatly dis- 

 turbed, running in all directions, when brought to the surface. 



None of the deep-water Macrura have attracted more notice 

 than the Eryonidse, or " Willemoesia group of Crustacea," first 

 brought into prominent notice by the " Challenger " expedition. 

 No less than five new species of this group were discovered at 

 depths ranging from 100 to 1,900 fathoms ; they are admi- 

 rably illustrated by Pentacheles sculptus. (Fig. 239.) The 

 eyes are sessile and peculiarly modified in all the species. In 

 Pentacheles sculjJtus the eyes, or ophthalmic lobes rather, com- 



