386 CRUSTACEA. 



of Cork, states that " we have of them in great plenty fi"om 1 lb. to 6 or 

 8 lbs. weight on the South coast of Ireland." Rutty, in his Natural His- 

 tory of the County of Dublin, says of the FnUtiuris, " this, though com- 

 mon on their tables at Cork, and a more delicate food than the lobster, is 

 rare in Dublin, though sometimes brought to our market from Munster, 

 and sometimes from England." Dr. Ball informs me that it is still occa- 

 sionally brought to Dublin, and that it is at the present time rather com- 

 monly taken at Youghal along with lobsters, and of the size noticed by 

 Leach — from 18 to 20 inches in length of body. It is considered coarse 

 food at the last-named place. A specimen obtained many years ago at 

 Magilligan, County Londonderry, is in Mr. Hyndman's collection ; one 

 or two have subsequently been procured there by the Ordnance Survey, 

 as well as on the coast of Donegal. A specimen captured in a crab-pot 

 at Carrickfergus is preserved in the Belfast Museum. 



Genus Gebia. 

 G. deltura, Leach. 



In the stomach of a haddock [Gadus jEglefinus) taken off Newcastle 

 (Co. Down) on the 6th March, 1847, I was interested in finding two per- 

 fect arms of this rare fossorial species, hitherto known to have been ob- 

 tained only on the coast of Devonshii'e. They are of the size represented 

 by Leach, Bell, and M. Edwards. The stomach of the fish was with the 

 exception of them filled with the remains of Ophiura texturata. It was 

 from the same locality that I obtained the arms — and these only — of the 

 two other fossorial genera Callianassa and Calocaris in March, 1839. The 

 reason of these parts alone of the animal being taken may perhaps be 

 owing to their being above the surface of the bank, ready to lay hold of 

 any food within their reach, while the body remains concealed, and the 

 ground-feeding fish seizing on them, the Crustacean sacrifices its exposed 

 members rather than give up its whole body to its assailant. 



Professor Bell remarks : — " The difference of the depth which the va- 

 rious species of this fossorial family inhabit is very remarkable ; the pre- 

 sent species \_Gebia stellata'] with Calliatiassa suhterranea being found in 

 a sand-bank, when digging for Solenes, whilst Calocaris 3Iacandrece was 

 dredged from the astonishing depth of 180 fathoms." {Hist. Brit. Crust., 

 p. 224.) 



The difference here noticed is interesting in so far as the facts narrated, 

 but can scarcely be considered characteristic of the respective species. My 

 specimens of Callianassa and Calocaris, if not taken from the stomach of 

 the same individual fish, a Platessa pola, Cuv., were procured from two 

 fishes of that species taken at the same sweep of the trawl-net on the 

 same bank at a depth of 10 fathoms. The Gebia was probably taken at 

 a similar depth. 



Getms Callianassa. 

 G. suhterranea, Leach. 

 " 3Iarch 25, 1839. — On examining the contents of the stomach of 

 several individuals of the Platessa Pola, which were taken early this morn- 

 ing off Newcastle (County Down), two of the lai-ger arms of this species, 

 so peculiar in form and still retaining their beautiful pink colour, were 

 detected." 



