414 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
shaped; those of both sexes are divided by a ridge equally and 
vertically. 
HHyas araneus, Leach. 
This species may readily be distinguished from the following 
by its size, although when this cannot be relied upon the structure 
of the carapace is sufficient. The carapace is covered with small 
tubercles and a few spines. Its lateral margin is a double curve 
formed by the rounded basal angles and the contraction of the 
anterior portion terminating at the point at the base of the orbit. 
The colour of this species varies from reddish yellow to pale 
_ brown, some that we obtained from the coast of Sussex being 
remarkably clean and of a beautiful Venetian red tint, whilst 
others that were collected from the Thames estuary, though very 
fine, were of a dingy pale brown and dotted here and there with 
extraneous growth. 
We have referred to the large size to which this species some- 
times attains. Prof. Bell gives the dimensions of a male, which 
are as follows:—Length of carapace, 3 in. 6 lines; breadth of 
ditto, 2 in. 6 lines; length of anterior legs, 5 in. 3 lines. Dr. 
Howden (Zool. 1853, p. 3838) records specimens of males obtained 
from crab-pots off Prestonpans which measured twelve inches 
from tip to tip of third limb. 
Prof. Bell records this species as having been taken in the 
following localities: — Worthing; coast of North Wales; Hastings, 
in considerable abundance; Sandgate, on oyster-beds, of large 
size; Carrickfergus; Youghal; Dublin; Loughs of Strangford 
and Belfast; Bundoran; and the coast near Edinburgh. We 
have obtained it freely from the chamnel off the Sussex coast, the 
Thames estuary, and off the Essex coast. It has also been 
recorded from St. Andrews, abundant; Shetland, large specimens 
from Laminarian zone; Belfast; North and West of Ireland, 
common; Dublin; Galway, common; and South Devon. From 
these it would appear that this species is very generally distributed. 
We are not aware of its being used anywhere in this country as 
an article of food. 
Hyas araneus is with ova in the early part of the year. The 
ova superficially resemble those of the genus Pisa, except that 
they are paler in colour. 
