CRUSTACEANS. 



never seen or heard of any specimen ; but, whether it may not lx- identi 

 with the ("ii/n-t-r tcorpioidet of the late Mr Montague. \\lio also 

 describes a mutilated specimen, I cannot presume to determine 



This specimen occurred among the muddy residue from a quantity 

 of marine OoDtetKNML 



The form bears a considerable resemblance to the irenenil appear- 

 ance of a lobster; yet I cannot pretend to define precisely the miniKer 

 ami striiet tire of the organs of which it is composed : figs. 15 and 1; M-em 

 to me stillieieiitly expressive, the former, natural size, the latter, mag- 

 nified, of the animal. Total length six lines. The body composed of 

 about six segments, the first infinitely the largest, and much rescinbliu^ 

 a lobster shell ; the tail round, solid, and consisting of seven articulation-, 

 the last with a small fork. The animal lay constantly on its side ; but. i! 

 rising to stand, which was seldom, it carried the tail erect, at ri^ht an.irl-- 

 to the body, or sometimes recurved and folded in, as usual with the 

 lobster. 



When the creature was stimulated, it rose and spning up amon^ t he- 

 water, as if to reach the surface: otherwise it scarcely ever inclin.M 

 to move ; colour universally brownish or dingy white. Plate LXII. 

 figs. 15, 16. 



I could discover nothing more from the original, hitherto the ex- 

 clusive subject of reference, than above described ; but, in about three 

 weeks, I was induced to conjecture the presence of an advancing ovarium 

 in the vicinity of the abdomen, though I could not discern it distinctly. 

 On the 26th of March, however, my conjecture was partly confirmed by 

 finding a number of the young. 



It is from these and the adult that we are to understand the real 

 structure of the animal, not forgetting that possibly it may undergo cer- 

 tain modifications from subsequent metamorphosis. 



The young were pure white to the naked eye, not extending half a 

 line. When subjected to the microscope, they exhibited what was defec- 

 tive or imperfect in the parent. Thus, the antennae were forked un- 

 equally, the smaller prong being an offset at a third of the whole 1. 

 above the root ; a foikid oflVet also issued from enfh side of the penult 



2r 



