300 PRANIZA EDWARDIL CHAP. xv. 



species of Anceus, the one being considerably smaller than 

 the other. Of the lesser, there were several specimens ; but 

 of the larger, only two. The answer which you gave me was, 

 that they were Anceus maxillaris. At this I was somewhat 

 disappointed. I admit that the larger were of that species, 

 but not the smaller. And since I received your last number, 

 which treats on this subject, I am now more than ever con- 

 vinced that they are distinct. I consider the smaller speci- 

 men to be the male of the Praniza Edwardii. I may be 

 wrong, but that is my conviction. I need not, of course, at- 

 tempt to point out the distinctions to you ; but perhaps you 

 will allow me to state a few words on the subject, and what 

 makes me think that he is the male of Praniza Edwardii. 



" In the first place, I would say that this little fellow is 

 decidedly a deep-sea species, that is, so far as my experi- 

 ence goes. I have never found him but on the old shells 

 and stones brought up by the fishermen's lin^es. There he 

 seems to prowl about seeking what he may devour, prying 

 into every crevice and corner in search of food, and also into 

 the tenantless worm-cases with which these old shells and 

 stones are generally encrusted. Now these are exactly the 

 habitats and manners of the Praniza Edwardii when adult. 

 Where I find the one, I am almost sure to find the other. 

 I have found them together, and taken them out of the same 

 worm-tube. But though this does not amount to an entire 

 proof, still it helps to strengthen my conjecture that they are 

 male and female. 



" In the second place, besides the striking disparity in 

 size, the mandibles in this species appear to me to differ con- 

 siderably from the same organs in the Anceus maxillaris. 

 Here I have never seen them to overlap each other as they 

 do in the one just named. And, having frequently kept 

 them alive, I have seen their mandibles open and shut times 

 without number ; and, so far as I could make out, they never 

 crossed each other in the least. Indeed, I do not think they 



