378 CEUSTACEA. 



of these crabs, of which the carapace is 2 lines in breadth, obtained by 

 Mr. Hyndman in a full-grown C. edule from Strangford Lough ; but from 

 the Sligo coast, where this shell attains an extraordinary large size, a 

 crab with a carapace 4 lines in breadth, and with outstretched legs 7 

 lines across, was once kindly brought to me by Lord Enniskillen. Dr. 

 Ball informs me that on two occasions he obtained a great number of the 

 Pinnotheres, and which were all males, from the Cardhim edule taken at 

 Youghal * — about nine out of every ten cockles contained a crab. On 

 opening oysters from Tenby, in "Wales, he has likewise procured the Pin- 

 tiofheres. This crab, like the Pagurus, occupies different species of shells 

 according to its size, and at every age generally selects such as with out- 

 stretched legs it would fill from side to side— this of course will not apply 

 to the allied species P. Piiince. On one occasion I found a female Pinno- 

 theres, of adult size, alive in a 3I(>diolus valc/aris six days after it had 

 beeii taken from the sea — the shell-fish died on the fourth day. 



P. Pinnce, Leach. 

 In the collection of Mr. J. V. Thompson there Is a specimen so named, 

 and marked as Irish. It is imperfect, but appears to be the P. veterum of 

 Leach, made synonymous by this author with P. Pinnce. Writing on 

 Pinnotheres in the Entomological Magazine (vol. iii. p. 89), Mr. J. V. 

 Thompson remarks — " On this part [Cork] of the Irish coast but two 

 species have been hitherto observed, viz. P. Pisum and P. Pinnce, the lat- 

 ter being found in Pinnce and Modioli" 



Genus GoNOPLAX. 

 G. anc/idatiis, Edw. 



Mr. J. V. Thompson's collection contains an Irish specimen of this 

 crab, marked " rare." Dr. Ball has found the species in the stomachs of 

 cod-fish, purchased in the markets of Youghal and Dublin, and commonly 

 in those brought to the former place — four of these crabs is the greatest 

 number he has obtained from the stomach of a single fish. In the Ord- 

 nance collection is a fine example of G. anrjulatus, labelled as procured at 

 "Bangor [Co. Down], January, 1839." 



On examination of several specimens of Gonoplax preserved by Dr. 

 Ball, I cannot — ^judging from Leach's figure of the one and Desmarest's 

 of the other— see any grounds for considering G. angidatus and G. rhoni- 

 hoides as distinct species. My specimens accord better with the latter, 

 but may at the same time be considered intermediate : instead of the second 

 spine on each side is the little knob or protuberance characteristic of G. 

 rliowhoides. From the descriptions of the two sjK'cies there appears to 

 be little more of difference than the relative length of spine on each 

 side of the carapace — and this certainly is most trivial. 



Gonoplax anyulatus. Spring, 1848. Mr. T. W. Warren obtained on one 



* With respect to another part of the coast of Cork, Mr. J. V. Thompson ob- 

 serves — "Let any person take a sweep with a dredge on any bank of old mus- 

 sels, modioli or pinnce, where the Pinnotheres have been before observed, and 

 almost every shell will be found to contain one full-grown female, some two, 

 and others three, independent of young ones and males, which occasionally 

 occur in common with the females. * * * As the fishermen at Cove often have 

 recourse to those shell-fish for bait, I have had a pint and upwards of the pea- 

 crab brought to me out of the mussels obtained in a few hauls of the dredge." — 

 Ent. Mug. vol. iii. p. 86. 



