A Sijnopsis of the British Paguridce. 65 



Fig. 5. PalcBoxyris PrcndcUL Uncompressed example from Coseley, near 

 Dudley, in the collection of Mr H. Johnson, Dudley. 



Fig. 5a. Segment of specimen. Fig. 5, enlarged to show the fine oblique 

 lines. 



Fig. 6. Palmoxyris Johnsoni, Kidston, n.s. From Coseley, near Dudley. 

 Specimen in the collection of Mr H. Johnson, Dudley. 



Fig. 7. Palceoxijris trispiralis, Kidston, n.s. From Coseley, near Dudley. 

 Specimen in the collection of Mr H. Johnson, Dudley. 



JSfote. — Except Fig. 5«, all the figures are drawn natural size. 



IV. A Synopsis of the British Paguridm. By J. E. Henderson, 

 Esq., M.B., F.L.S., Professor of Biology, Christian College, 

 Madras. 



(Read 21st April 1886.) 



There is perhaps no group of higher Crustacea which has 

 been less studied or more imperfectly characterised in Britain 

 than the Paguridai or hermit crabs. In support of this state- 

 ment we need only allude to the fact that most writers of 

 local marine faunas, even up to the present day, are either 

 profoundly ignorant of, or else ignore, the fact that the genus 

 Pagurus of older writers was split up more than thirty years 

 ago into a number of separate and distinct genera. Indeed 

 at present only one British species is referable to the re- 

 stricted genus Pagurus, and this, as it so happens, is perhaps 

 the least known member of the group. The examination of 

 dried specimens, a practice more prevalent in former years, 

 has probably proved a frequent source of error. 



The modern tendency to multiply genera is well shown in 

 the Paguridse, and the subdivision of this group has perhaps 

 been carried to an unnecessary degree. It was therefore not 

 without some hesitation that I lately ventured to add a new 

 subgenus to the list. 



The present paper, as its title indicates, can only be re- 

 garded as a mere synopsis of the British species with some 

 of their chief characters, synonyms, and localities. It was 

 previously my intention to have attempted a complete re- 

 vision of these, and I had for some time been collecting 

 materials for the purpose, but circumstances have since pre- 

 vented my carrying out this project. 



VOL. IX. E 



