THE MSOP PRAWN 85 



limbs really form a pair of brushes. And with 

 them the prawn will clean its body most dili- 

 gently, rubbing itself all over until every little 

 speck of dirt has been removed. And if any 

 object should cling to its body which these tiny 

 brushes cannot rub away, it will pull it off by 

 means of the strong little pincers on the second 

 pair of legs. 



Do you want to know how to tell a prawn 

 from a shrimp? 



Well, all that you have to do is to look in front 

 of its head. There, projecting from the edge 

 of the "carapace," or shield which covers the 

 back, you will see a long spike, something like 

 a beak. Just put your finger upon this, and 

 feel the edge. If it is set with sharp little teeth, 

 like those of a saw, the animal is a prawn. But 

 if the spike is perfectly smooth, it is a shrimp. 



PLATE XXVIII 



THE ^ESOP PRAWN (2) 



This is a much prettier creature than the 

 common prawn, for its transparent body is 

 covered with scarlet lines, while its long thread- 

 like feelers have rings of the same colour round 

 them at regular distances apart. It is called 

 the " JEsop " prawn because it has a big hump 



