488 On the Willemoesia Group of Crustacea. 



If the Kev. A. M. Norman will turn to the * Catalogue of Am- 

 phipoda ' as far back as 1862, as well as to the ' History of 

 the British Sessile-eyed Crustacea/ he will find that the rela- 

 tionship of Lestrigonus to Hyperia is distinctly mentioned ; 

 and in the latter appears the following passage : — 



"In the same work ('Catalogue of Amphipoda') Mr. S. 

 Bate has also suggested that the species of the present genus 

 are but females of those of Lestrigonus. He arrived at this 

 conclusion after examining a considerable number of species 

 of both genera, finding it difficult, if not impossible, to assert 

 (with reference to the structure of the antennas) where one 

 genus commences and the other ends. Recently, through the 

 kindness of Mr. Edward, of BanlF, we have had the opportu- 

 nity of examining many fresh specimens both of Lestrigonus 

 and HyiJeria from the same locality ; and we found that all the 

 adult Hyperice of which the sex could be detected were fe- 

 males, but that none of the Lestrigoni were of that sex." 



I feel somewhat ashamed to quote so long a passage out of 

 that work for the purpose of replying to such small criticism, 

 and to show that the Hev. A. M. Norman had no right to say 

 that I " persist against proof," when he must have known 

 that he himself took the inspiration of which he boasts from 

 the writings of others, even if he has himself "paired the 

 British species described by Bate and Westwood." See Brit.- 

 Assoc. Report, 1 868, p. 286, for the way he has done this. 



^^ Hyperia galba (Montagu), Bate & Wcstw. Brit. Sessile- 

 eyed Crust, vol. ii. p. 12, the iQvaiAe^=- Lestrigonus Kinahani^ 

 Bate & Westw. /. c. p. 8, the raale, =? Lestrigonus exulans, 

 I. c. p. 5, the young male,=? Hyperia medusarum, Bate, Cat. 

 Amph. Crust. Brit. Mus. p. 295, pi. xlix. fig. 1, the young 

 female (but not Metoecus medusartnn, Kroyer). In Aurelia, 

 open sea, twenty-five miles N. by W. of Unst. 



" I believe that the above four so-called species are the diffe- 

 rent sexes and periods of growth of one. The specific points will 

 be found in the structure of the gnathopods (as accurately de- 

 scribed by Bate & Westw. under Lestrigonus exulans) and of 

 the uropods, which have the rami of all three pairs wide in 

 the middle, but narrowed at the base and mucronate at the 

 terminations ; the inner margins of the rami of the first pair, 

 and the inner margin of the outer ramus, and both margins 

 of the inner ramus of the last two pairs are elegantly ser- 

 rated." 



To Lestrigonus exidans and Hyperia medusarum he prefixes 

 a ?, to show that he felt doubtful of his facts ; and in writing 

 he says, " 7 believe tha.t the above four so-called species are the 

 different sexes and periods of growth of one." I therefore 



