118 CLASS CRUSTACEA. 



which assumes an endless variety of curious shapes, 

 sometimes elegantly decorated with the most brilliant 

 colours ; this more particularly applies to those which 

 are found in the seas of hot climates. 



The singular little animal represented in the preceding 

 page, was placed by naturalists among the Crustacea, and 

 considered a perfect animal of a distinct species ; it was 

 named Zoea. Mr. Thomson, the experienced naturalist 

 Vie have already noticed, was the first to discover the real 

 nature of this little creature. We cannot do better than 

 to introduce the subject by the following observations of 

 the author of this discovery, showing the reason so little 

 is known respecting these inhabitants of the deep. 



" The sea (which is the habitation of the greater part 

 of the Crustacea) to the casual observer offers nothing but 

 an immense body of water, here and there presenting a 

 solitary whale, or a vagrant troop of some of the smaller 

 cetaceous animals ; the appearance of a fish of almost 

 any other kind in the track of a vessel over a vast ex- 

 panse of the open ocean, is regarded, even by the mari- 

 ner, as a kind of phenomenon, and creates an interest 

 not to be appreciated by those who have not engaged 

 in distant voyages. The fathomless parts of the ocean 

 certainly do not offer the same profusion of inhabitants 

 with the shores of islands and continents, or those parts 

 where the bottom is within reach of the sounding-line, 

 or where the surface is interspersed with fields of 

 Sargosa*. On due examination, however, we shall not 

 fail to find it everywhere peopled by a considerable va- 

 riety of animals, either of small size, or possessed of 

 such a degree of translucency as to render them invi- 



* A kind of sea-weed, [Fucus nutans.) 



