popular 23t'cttmtarn nf gmmatclr $ature. 599 



Mr. Denny, of Leeds, and Dr. Schaum, of 

 Stettin, for descriptions of the various spe- 

 cies. 



SCYLL^EA. A genus of Gasteropodous 

 Nudibranchiate Mollusca. In this genus the 

 body is compressed ; the foot narrow and fur- 

 rowed, to enable it to embrace the stems of 

 sea- weed; the mouth forming a small pro- 



BOtl.1.M\ FELAOICA.. 



boscis; the tentacula compressed, terminating 

 in a cavity from which a little point, with an 

 unequal surface, can be protruded ; and upon 

 the back are two pairs of membranous crests, 

 carrying, on their inner aspect, some pencils 

 of branched filaments. The middle of the 

 stomach is covered with a fleshy ring, armed 

 with very sharp horny laminae. "The common 

 species is found on Fucus Jiatans, or gulf- 

 weed, wherever this appears. 



SCYLLARUS: SCYLLARID^E. 

 A genus and family of Macrurous Decapods, 

 or Long- tailed Crabs. They are distinguished 

 by a very vide carapace, and but little ele- 

 vated ; its anterior border nearly straight, 

 and presenting a horizontal prolongation 

 which advances between the base of the 

 external antennae, which are foliaceous and 



extremely wide. The buccal frame is small 

 and the jaw-feet are moderate and nearly 

 pediform. There are several species, differ- 

 ing considerably from each other. The one 

 here figured is Scyllarus Equinoxialis ; the 

 body of wliich is very much depressed, and 

 much narrowed from before backwards. It 

 is of a yellowish colour mingled with red, 

 and about a foot in length : its locality the 

 Antilles. 



SCYTHROPS or CHANNEL-BILL. A 



remarkable genus of Birds, by some natu- 

 ralists considered as allied to the Horn-bills, 

 by others to the Toucans, but in reality be- 

 longing to the family of the Cuckoos. The 

 Bill has two narrow longitudinal grooves ; 

 and the space round the eyes and nostrils is 

 void of feathers. But one species of this 

 genus is known, the S. Nnv .v - 1 1< .1 i \ \ i >i r 

 or CHANNEL-BILL. It is a migratory bird 

 in New South Wales, arriving in October, 

 and leaving in January ; it is chiefly seen in 

 the morning and evening, sometimes in small 

 parties of seven or eight, but more frequently 

 in pairs. It makes a loud screaming noise 

 when a hawk is in sight. The tail, which 

 is nearly as long as the budy, and has most 

 of the feathers tipped with white with a 

 black band before the tip, is occasionally 

 displayed like a fan, and gives the bird a 

 majestic appearance. Mr. Gould informs 

 us that it feeds on the larger kinds of Phan- 

 midte and Coleoptera; but he could not as- 

 certain whether the species was parasitic or 

 not, like the other cuckoo*. 



SEA-DEVIL. The Lophiui Pteatorim. 



[See AA-GLEK.] 



SEA-EAGLE. The Erne : also the name 

 sometimes given to the Osprey. [See 

 EAGLE.] 



SEA -EGG : SEA-URCHIN. Names 

 frequently given to different species of the 

 family EchinitUe. We give a representation 

 of the half of a beautiful species of this 



group, the above figure showing it in its na- 

 tural state, covered with elegant knobbed 

 spines, which Mr. Williams, the missionary 

 to the South Sea Islands, tells us, in his in- 

 teresting Narrative, are very often used as 

 slate pencils in those distant islands. The 



SPINES REMOVED. 



