CRABS AND LOBSTERS. 



137 



dubbed it Xantho, in scientific language, from the Greek 

 XanthoS) yellow. Many of us are more or less colour-blind, 

 and should therefore be careful to abstain from dogmatism in 

 relation to tints, but I should certainly not describe either of 

 the British species of Xantho as being yellow, although some 

 specimens of X. hydrophilus are certainly yellow/j/j. 



Xantho hydrophilus is rather an odd, clumsy-looking creature, 

 owing to the want of proportion between his trunk and the 

 large pincer-claws. The carapace is peculiarly wrinkled, and 

 the margin on the outside of the eye on each side (latero- 

 anterior] is marked by four stout triangular teeth. The four 

 pairs of smaller legs (2 to 5) have a row of fine hairs along 

 the upper edge of each joint ; and the fingers of the pincer- 

 claws are brown, the moveable one being also grooved on 

 the upper surface. Colour yellowish-brown with darker 

 markings. 



Xantho incisus is 

 very like the last, and 

 some specimens will 

 prove difficult to de- 

 termine with satisfac- 

 tion. The description 

 of the carapace and 

 its toothed margin 

 will apply equally to 

 either species ; but 

 the distinctive char- 

 acters of this as com- 

 pared with the last 



are that (i) the fingers of the pincer-claws are black^ (2) that 

 they are not grooved, (3) the second to fifth pairs of legs in- 

 stead of having the fringe of hairs all along their upper 

 margin have only the third (or longest) joint of each leg so 

 decorated. The second and third points are, I believe, reliable 

 the first is not. I have seen many specimens with the 



