FEBRUARY, 1883. 277 



considerable proportion of them are "humpbacked," 

 the carapace being swollen from the inside. Here and 

 there we find the carapace is being lifted off, and one is 

 apt to conclude that the creature has " burst itself" to an 

 extent. Ha ! what is this we have here ? Half 

 emerging from under the tilted carapace is a little 

 yellow-bodied scoundrel, backing out like a burglar from 

 a bedroom window ; and here, again, is another that has 

 wholly emerged from its stranded host, only to find itself 

 in an equally uncongenial element. Why, those lumps 

 under the carapace are actually parasites, and the burst- 

 open carapaces have been hoisted apart by them in their 

 endeavours to escape from the dwelling that circum- 

 stances " over which poor crabby had no control " has 

 rendered inhospitable. Small we have called these 

 fellows, but they are relatively enormous, and if one 

 could fancy a man carrying about a living hare in his 

 stomach he would be somewhat similarly burdened to 

 those weight carrying little crustaceans ! 



Where is our little fish all this time ? Bring forth the 

 fish ! The fish was brought, and proved to be of the 

 sucker class. A delicately organised creature compared 

 with its congeners, with extremely fine fibrous fins, 

 resembling those of the gobies more than its own genus, 

 with a brilliant general tone on back and sides, only to 

 be imitated by adding a large dash of rose to Indian 

 red, and of an almost gelatinous consistence, the little 

 stranger of but i 3-ioths of an inch in length was a 

 source of greater interest than if it had been a salmon of 

 as many yards. The dorsal fin has 6, anal 4, and tail 

 13 rays, in this closely resembling the two-spotted 

 sucker ; but otherwise the appearance of these two fishes 

 is quite distinct, and three beautiful spots of a richer 



