456 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
moreover, of a dirty brown colour, but turn to a rich dark red as 
they approach maturity. In the Channel Islands it is called 
*V'ancien,” on account of the somewhat aged appearance of the 
animal. The tips of the claws are shiny black, which adds to its 
beauty. Altogether there are few of the British Crustacea more 
attractive to the naturalist than Xantho florida. 
The anterior lateral margin of the carapace has four bluntly- 
pointed teeth on each side of the deflexed portion that takes the 
place of a rostrum; this portion protects the orbits, which are 
notched on their lower margin. One of the chief distinctions 
between this and the following species is that the carapace of 
Xantho florida is convex, whilst that of X. rivulosa is very flat. 
This crab is recorded by Bell as being found in considerable 
numbers on tbe coasts of Cornwall, Devonshire, and Dorsetshire, 
and has also been recorded from the south and west coasts of 
Ireland; Galway, very common, the unicoloured variety being as 
common as those with black-tipped claws ; the Hebrides, between 
tide-marks ; South Devon, frequently ; Devon coast, common—a 
frequent light variety, somewhat similar to X. rivulosa. We 
have observed it in large numbers on the low-tide rocks below 
St. Michael’s Mount, Mount’s Bay, Cornwall, and the La Rocque 
shallows of Jersey, where, in each locality, its habit of secreting 
itself under large rocks was well seen. Owing to this habit it is 
seldom or never dredged, for a good dredging ground is not the 
usual resort of this species. 
One very marked peculiarity connected with X. florida, and 
indeed with its ally X. rivulosa, is the proclivity it possesses for 
shooting or throwing off its limbs; we have seen a specimen part 
with its whole ten legs upon being wrapped in linen soaked in 
alcohol, and in killing others for the purpose of preservation the 
same thing has occurred. 
The ova of this species are very beautiful, being connected by 
ligatures in massive bunches. Their colour in the early summer, 
when they are chiefly exuded, is a rich golden, becoming dark, as 
usual, as development proceeds. We obtained specimens with 
fully mature ova from Scilly and Cornwall in September and 
October; and we think that, like some other species, X. florida is 
with ova at periods varying slightly in different localities, and 
possibly depending somewhat on temperature. 
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