102 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
the movable pincer is more finely serrated, as also are the inner 
edges of the other pincers. This, I fancy, is to enable the 
Lobster to grasp firmly with the finely-toothed pincers, and to 
crush with the tuberculated pair. The second and third pairs of 
legs are armed with small pincers capable of grasping, whilst the 
fourth and fifth pairs terminate in a simple claw. The swim- 
merets or abdominal feet are fan-shaped and fringed, and when 
the groups of ova are attached to the basal joint of these, as 
they are in separate equally-distributed bunches, the waving to 
and fro of these fans causes a regular flow of water to circulate 
freely through them. 
The usual colour of this crustacean is blue-black, with the 
lower edges of the carapace mottled, though many interesting 
varieties are frequently found. I recently described (Zool., 1884, 
p- 491) a beautiful variety from Jersey. It was of a delicate pale 
blue tint, with a peach-like tinge on the cephalo-thorax, the claws 
being of an intense blue. The specimen, which was a fine one, 
reached me alive and vigorous. I have also seen a very large 
and ancient Lobster which was dappled blue and grey ; but the 
most remarkable one I remember was a fine well-grown female 
of a pale reddish colour, with the antenne of a decided bright 
red; this specimen carried a full supply of ripe ova, which 
I carefully preserved in fluid. It would have been interesting to 
have known how many of the progeny would have had a ten- 
dency to follow the striking peculiarity in colour of the parent. 
These specimens I examined living, so that I can vouch for the 
colours being natural, and not the results of any subsequent 
accident or treatment. As regards variation from the normal 
tint, Bell has recorded his opinion that it varies considerably, 
and that it is possible to tell the locality whence a specimen 
came by its tint. This may have been the personal experience of 
that author, but there certainly does not seem to be any hard- 
and-fast rule by which it can be said that a Jersey Lobster is 
of one colour and a Welsh Lobster another ; for striking varieties 
do not appear to result from the peculiarities of any one locality, 
but from surrounding conditions, accidental or otherwise, of 
which we at present know very little. 
I believe that colour varies slightly in accordance with 
the depth of water and comparative amount of light or shade 
in which the animals of a particular locality have passed 
