Miscellaneous. 233 



tubes, grafted upon those already in existence. This new mode of 

 living sheltered, differing essentially from the former, gave origin 

 to a new genus, Amphiexis, of the family Pseudarkysiae. 



In a recent dredging at some distance from the southern shore 

 of the Bay of Biscay, upon a bottom of coarse sand, we found some 

 specimens of Amphiexis, that is to say organisms like those captured 

 by the ' Talisman,' but differing from them in their envelope. The 

 envelope, instead of consisting of Glohigerinoe, is formed by an assem- 

 blage of sand-grains, of small shells of moUusca or their debris, and 

 a little mud. They also differ in having the sarcode which enve- 

 lopes the branched system much more condensed than in the specimens 

 from our shores. 



The most interesting discovery that we have made is that of a 

 third state of the Pseudarkysise. It is in the form of little pebbles, 

 and with the same hardness, that this organism presents itself. The 

 resemblance is so perfect that one is easily deceived. The organism 

 impregnates itself mth a paste which it forms with foreign cor- 

 puscles and sarcodesma, and thus forms a sort of cake, which it 

 " ices," so to speak, by covering it with a composition of secretion 

 and sarcode, exactly analogous to that which forms the tests of the 

 porcellaneous Foraminifera. The covering is just as smooth, polished, 

 briUiant, and hard as the latter ; but, instead of being white, it is 

 coloured in several shades. The sarcode which envelopes the 

 branched system is strongly condensed. If we break one of these 

 little false-pebbles the fracture is of the kind known as greasy. 

 This new state therefore gives occasion to the establishment of the 

 genus Lithozoa, and we believe that it may be divided into several 

 species. — Comptes JRendus, July 27, 1885, p. 327. 



Description of a new Crustacean allied to Homarus and Nephrops. 

 By SiDi^EY I. Smith. 



Any additions to the small number of known types of existing 

 Homaridae are of special interest on account of the relations of the 

 group to the Astacidse and to several fossil forms ; and for this reason 

 it seems desirable to give a special notice of the following species 

 recently taken in the Caribbean Sea by the Eish- Commission steamer 

 * Albatross.' 



EuNEPHKOPs, gen. nov. 



The species for which this generic name is proposed agrees with 

 Homarus and differs from Neplirops and Nephropsis in the number 

 and arrangement of the branchiae, and in the evenly swollen branchial 

 regions ; it agrees with NepTirops and Homarit^ and differs from 

 Nephropsis in possessing antennal scales and weU-developed eyes : 

 it agrees with Nephropsis and differs from Homarus and Nephrops 

 in having very large antennal spines, and in being without any 

 spine on the second segment of the peduncle of the antennae ; and 



