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CLASS CmRHIPEDA 



The Cirrbipeds are well known under the names of 

 Barnacles and Acorn-shells, being found attached to 

 rocks, ships' bottoms, and pieces of timber which have 

 been under the water for a length of time. They also at 

 times fix themselves on the shells of the larger Mollusca, 

 and on the backs of whales, tortoises, &c. These crea- 

 tures, from their singular formation, have often proved 

 a stumbling-block in the way of the systematic natu- 

 ralist, who, from their anomalous characters, was unable 

 to refer them to any part of his system ; and although 

 their true nature, which has more recently been dis- 

 covered by a British naturalist, was partially suspected 

 by Lamarck, (without, however, any defmite idea on the 

 subject,) we have still placed them immediately after 

 the Conchifera, although, as we shall presently show, 

 they ought more properly to be ranged with the Crus- 

 tacea, that is, the crab and lobster tribes, and in future 

 svsteras this no doubt will be the case. 



After noticing their resemblance in many respects to 

 the Crustacea, Lamarck thus expresses himself. " In 

 fact, when I established the class of Crustacea, I 

 formed the first order of this class, (the Cirrhipcds,) 

 under the name of sightless Crustacea, but a few years 

 afterwards I separated them and placed them at the end 

 of the Mollusca, but this was no better. If, for example, 

 we consider those characters which furnish their most 

 important organs, we shall find that tfce Cirrbipeds, with- 

 out any doubt, most nearly resemble the Crustacea, for 



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