134 CLASS CRUSTACEA. 



appearance which it gives to the breakers, so as to ren- 

 der them visible at a considerable distance." 



The Opossum Shrimp, {Mysis chamoeleon.) 



This small species of Shrimp, although it has much the 

 same outward appearance as the common shrimp, ex- 

 cept that it is considerably smaller, is, when duly exa- 



Mysis chamceleon. 



mined, one of the most singularly-formed creatures of 

 the class to which it belongs. It is found in tolerable 

 abundance along the British coasts, but the northern 

 seas literally swarm with them ; there, in spite of their 

 small size, they are destined to become the food of the 

 stupendous whale, whose enormous mouth encloses my- 

 riads at a time. 



