SPINOSE I'AHTHKNOPE. Partluniope homdti. 



The generic name Cryptopodia is derived from two Greek words signifying Hidden- 

 legs, and is an extremely appropriate title. Even the large claw-legs can be folded up and 

 tucked away so neatly under the carapace, that when the creature lies still on the ground, 

 no vestige of limbs can be seen, and it might easily be mistaken for a stone thrown 

 casually on the shore. In fact, the whole contour of this crab, whether when moving or 

 quiescent, irresistibly reminds the observer of the tortoise tribe, and bears a special analogy 

 to the box-tortoise, which has already been described and figured. The eyes of this genus 

 are very small, and, like the limbs, can be wholly retracted and hidden under the shell. 

 The Domed Crab is a native of Japan. 



THE very singular and unprepossessing crab which is here represented, belongs to the 

 typical genus of the family. At present this genus seems to be very small, the number of 

 known species being decidedly limited. Owing to the marine residence of these creatures, 

 and the extreme difficulty, not to say impossibility, of watching them in their watery 

 homes, the habits of these Parthenopidce are but little known, and in most cases can only 

 be conjectured from the bodily form, just as the fossil animals are known to be carnivorous 

 or herbivorous by the structure of their teeth and jaws, to be swimming creatures because 

 they possess fins and paddles, or to be capable of flight because they are furnished with 

 wings. 



IN the SPINOSE PARTHENOPE, the carapace approaches to a five- sided figure, rather 

 wider than its length, moulded into a series of the oddest imaginable protuberances, and 

 covered with knobs, tubercles, and spines. The beak is sharp, short, pointed, and has a 

 strong tooth just between the antennae. The claw-legs are very large, armed with powerful 



