J42 THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 



Indian Ocean they can be extended to a considerable 

 length. 



Most of the Crustacea present quite a different form 

 when they first issue from the egg from that which they 

 afterwards assume. A tiny creature, which had been 

 drawn in a Dutch Natural History in 1778, and which 

 was there described under the name of the "Zoea," 

 was supposed, until 1822, to be a complete crustaceous 

 animal. Several more of them were met with in the 

 Atlantic, and at last Mr. T. V. Thomson met with hundreds 

 of them in the Cove of Cork ; and they turned out to be 

 nothing more than common crabs in their larval condition. 



I must refer you to the annexed engraving (Fig. 99), in 

 which you will see that the Lobster has four feelers 

 (antenna?) attached to the head, and that it has Jive pairs 

 of jointed limbs, not intended for walking, but for seizing 

 prey and conveying it to the mouth ; and they are there- 

 fore called " foot-jaws." Next follow two enormous limbs, 

 each ending in a strong pair of pincers. One of these 

 limbs has knobs or lumps projecting from its edge ; and 

 this one the lobster uses as an anchor, and holds on by 

 it to some stone or branch under the water. The other 

 limb has saw-like teeth on its edge, and with this the 

 animal seizes and tears up its food. Then follow four pairs 

 of very slender legs, which would not be of much service 

 for walking purposes on land ; but the lobster does not 

 walk much and when it does, the water tinder the body 

 supports it, and the animal moves along in a manner which 

 looks so very awkward and unbusincss-likc, that one does 

 not wonder that all of a sudden it gives up its walk and takes 

 to swimming. Arid then, by the action of its broad, fan-like 

 tail, it can clear a distance backward of twenty or thirty 

 feet. When it uses its tail for a stroke downwards, the fan 

 expands ; and when it raises it again for another, it closes, 

 so as to offer as little resistance to the water as possible. 



