266 



PHYLLOPODA ; BRINE-SHRIMP ; BRANCHIPUS. 



like rain. Their eggs are of a red colour, and fall to the bottom 

 of the water, when set free from the egg-cases which the parent 

 bears near its tail. When first hatched, the young differ con- 

 siderably from their parents, having but one eye, four legs, no 

 tail, and the shell covering only the front half of the body. 

 These little Crustacea are said to feed upon young Tadpoles. 

 They swim well on the back, and burrow in the sand, elevating 

 their tails in the water. 



803. In the species included in the second division of the 

 Order, there is neither bivalve shell, nor any trace of a shield- 

 like carapace ; but the body is entirely soft. It is usually much 

 prolonged, and composed of a large number of segments ; but 

 the branchial appendages or gill-feet do not exceed eleven pairs. 



To this group belongs the 

 curious Artemia salina, or 

 Brine-shrimp ; a small Crus- 

 tacean, about half an inch in 

 length, commonly found in the 

 salt-pans at Lymington, when 

 the evaporation of the water is 

 considerably advanced. The 

 accompanying figures represent 

 the progressive stages of its 

 development. " Nature having 



constructed it with members solely adapted for swimming, it 

 seems to be in perpetual quest of prey, gliding with an almost 

 even motion through the water, and moving with equal indif- 

 ference on the back, belly, and sides ; the shape of the animal, 

 the undulating movements of its fins, and the glossy appearance 

 of its coat, render it an object 

 of a very interesting descrip- 

 tion."" Nearly allied to this is 

 the Branchipus ; of which the 

 several species are found, often 

 in great numbers, in small pools, especially after heavy rain ; 

 sometimes even in those which are left on the uneven surfaces of 

 stones, the eggs, which are inclosed in a strong shell, seeming 



FIG. 492. ARTBMIA SALINA, in different 

 stages. 



FIG. 493. BRANCHIPUS STAGNALIS. 



