On some South-African Phyllopoda. 39 



obliquely backwards, and another smaller shadow on each 

 side of the anterior extremity of the shell. This colour, 

 however, is chiefly due to the enclosed animal, which 

 exhibits a more or less dark red hue, whereas the shell 

 itself is semi-pellucid, and of a rather uniform corneous 

 colour. 



Biological Observations. 



In the greater number of my aquaria some specimens 

 ■of the present Phyllopod developed, though at first they 

 were not easy to detect, owing to their peculiar habits; 

 for they remained, as a rule, deeply buried in the loose 

 bottom-deposit. Only occasionally were they seen moving 

 freely through the water in a rather violent and abrupt 

 manner, but these motions seldom endured for any length 

 of time; the animals very soon sank again to the bottom, 

 burrowing deeply in the mud, where they remained apparently 

 immovable. On a closer examination, however, the branchial 

 legs were seen to be in almost uninterrupted swinging motion, 

 for the purpose of breathing, and the acquiring of food. 

 Male and female specimens were present in about the same 

 number, and not infrequently they were seen locked together 

 for rather a long time, the male having a very firm grasp of 

 the female by the aid of his powerful prehensile legs. It 

 is not improbable that a great number of eggs were 

 deposited in the aquaria in the course of the summer; but 

 they did not develope to a new generation. 



