THE WOOD-BOEING SHEIMP. 



027 



m recesses iu the bank or under stones that form the bed of the stream, occasionally 

 darting out to seize some prey,, and then making their way back again. Occasionally they 

 push themselves a yard or two up the rivulet, but are sure to come floating back again 

 before very long, allowing themselves to be passively swept along by the force of the water 

 as if they were dead, but starting suddenly into active exertion as soon as they reach their 

 former haunts. 



In the water this crustacean moves by a series of jerks, and mostly lies on its side, 

 though it often swims with its back uppermost, and frequently rotates as it passes along. 

 It is a voracious creature, feeding upon dead fishes or any similar carrion. It is fond of 

 the muddy parts of the stream, liking to conceal itself in the soft alluvium when fearful 

 of danger. The eggs of the female are kept for some time under the abdomen, and the 

 young remain in that situation until they have attained sufficient strength to shift 

 for themselves. 



The three remaining species are marine. At the lower right-hand corner of the 

 engraving is seen a creature lying on its back. This is the WOOD-BORING SHRIMP, a 



B, F. 



A. FRESH-WATER SHRIMP. Gammarus pulex. D. WHALE-LOUSE. Cyanu ovdlia 



MANTIS SHRIMP. Caprella Unedris. B, 0. WOOD-BORING SHRIMP. CMum tcrelirans. 



crustacean that nearly rivals the ship-worm itself in its destructive powers. The figure 

 is represented in the act of attacking a piece of timber, which it has already much damaged. 

 The Wood-boring Shrimp makes burrows into the wood, wherein it can conceal itself, and 

 at the same time feast upon the fragments, as is proved by the presence of woody 

 dust within its interior. Its tunnels are made in an oblique direction, not very deeply 

 sunk below the surface, so that after a while the action of the waves washes away the thin 

 shell and leaves a number of grooves on the surface. Below these, again, the creature 

 bores a fresh set of tunnels, which in their turn are washed away, so that the timber 

 is soon destroyed in successive grooved flakes. 



According to Mr. Allman, its habits can be very easily watched, as if it is merely 

 placed in a tumbler of sea-water, together with a piece of wood, it will forthwith proceed 

 to work and gnaw its way into the wood. The apparatus with which it works this 

 destruction is shown in fig. 0, and is a kind of file or rasp which reduces the wood into 

 minute fragments. The figures are all enlarged, and that of the rasp is greatly magnified. 



In this creature the jaw feet are furnished with imperfect claws, and the tenth segment 

 from the head is curiously prolonged into a large and long spine. The great flattened 



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