The Zoologist — Febeuaey, 1874. 8855 



brolcen away the indurated clay or mud and let the contained Pro- 

 topterus drop into water at a temperature of about 70° F., when it 

 has at once began to swim about as if nothing had happened. But 

 having thus assumed so far the condition of a fish, and having no 

 necessity to again enter a clay prison, it would be exceedingly 

 difficult (I think) to send it back to Africa in water, as its conditions 

 of existence have become quite changed. It would take far too 

 great a space to narrate the instances of my having sent animals of 

 various kinds, marine and fresh-water, of many of the hardy kinds, 

 to various parts of the world, overland and by sea, and of ray having 

 received many from similar places ; but now, having so good a 

 correspondent as Dr. Dohrn, I hope he will send us many more, 

 he being a good packer. 



I find it hard to conclude, however, without telling of one little 

 aquarium brought from Curacoa, in the most perfect manner 

 possible. It consisted of a quart glass jar, its height being twice 

 its breadth. It was half full of sea-water, unchanged during its 

 transit to Hamburg, and six specimens of the raollusk Trochus 

 arrived there in perfect condition, and were kept in the same jar of 

 unchanged water for two years. On the voyage they climbed up 

 the side of the jar, and there had the wash of the water, and they 

 fed on the Algae which grew quasi-spontaneously. But when 

 large animals must be sent long distances in water, as, e.ff., 

 Lithodes arclica from Hammerfest, in Norway, to the Crystal 

 Palace, the trouble and cost are enormous, implying for a dozen 

 of these crabs two casks each containing one hundred and twenty 

 gallons of sea-water, with many changes on the voyage and careful 

 supervision all along. If they could be sent in the moist way, 

 their expense would be less than a tenth of what it now is. 



In lately reading some observations by Milne-Edwards and 

 Audouin on crabs, I notice that in almost every instance they give 

 accounts of habits only of species which live much out of water 

 and do not need an aquarium for their maintenance. 



But about these horse-shoe crabs which I caused to be thrown 

 into the sea, how can I help writing, " Cast thy crabs upon the 

 waters; for thou shall find them after many days." 



W. A. Lloyd. 



Crystal Palace, January 5, 1874. 



