374 THE AQUARIAN NATURALIST. 



exit from its hiding-place, its appearance is doubly 

 beautiful ; the colours are so clear and bright, particu- 

 larly the orange and rich brown bands which encircle 

 the pale blue prehensile feet, the various markings 

 are so defined, the small spines and fringes of hair 

 so clean and well-developed, and the deportment of 

 the creature is altogether so bold and vain-glorious, as 

 though proud of its new vesture, that it cannot but 

 command the admiration it seems to seek. 



From the observations of Mr. Warington, it ap- 

 pears that the period intervening between the exu- 

 viations of the prawn varies from twelve to twenty- 

 four days. This variation may depend upon the 

 quantity of food taken by the respective individuals, 

 and also on the varying temperature of the aquarium. 

 If the cast-skins be not removed from the water, the 

 prawns will devour all the smaller and softer parts, as 

 the legs, the palpi, and the false or swimming feet, 

 with great rapidity. 



For the benefit of such zoologists as may wish to 

 witness for themselves the hatching of the ova of the 

 Prawn, it may be observed, that the females, which 

 are vastly more numerous than the males, carry their 

 ova attached in groups to the inner branch of the 

 subabdominal fins, and that these ova are at first of 

 an oval figure, a pale yellowish-brown colour, and 

 small size ; but as they increase in size, they become 

 more round, change to a dark brown, then to a red- 

 dish brown, and gradually acquiring greater trans- 

 lucency, at length assume a pale flesh-colour, with 

 black eyes seen through their transparent covering. 

 Females arrived at this last stage of gestation, being 



