1888.] G. M. Giles— JVo^es on the Amphipoda of Indian Waters. 221 



The legs are short and stout and the mouth-parts exceptionally 

 strong, so as to be eminently suited for digging its way into the hard 

 albumen of the seeds on which it feeds. It might at first sight appear 

 strange that an inhabitant of so great a depth should feed on such ex- 

 clusively shore products. From the quantity of these seeds and other 

 driftage brought up in the trawl, it is, however, evident that, as long as 

 the tides and currents remain as they now are, the animal can never 

 be at a loss for food. That it is really a bottom organism there 

 can be no doubt, as, apart from its eyeless condition, its limbs are 

 ill-suited for swimming, and the driftage brought up in the trawl was 

 too abundant and of too varied a character to admit of any suspicion of 

 its having been picked up by the trawl on its upward or downward 

 route. 



The species can, however, have but a very limited distribution, as 

 situations in which abundant and well-preserved food drifted from the 

 shore is to be found at such a considerable depth must be quite excep- 

 tional, and widely separated from each other, as they can only be found 

 in the neighbourhood of great tidal rivers, and where such enter the 

 sea in the neighbourhood of considerable depths. 



The animal is of an uniform ivory-white throughout ; and the largest 

 specimen is about 12 mm. in length. 



The head is small and short, rounded in front and broad behind at 

 its junction with the thorax, where the animal very nearly attains its 

 maximum breadth. 



The segments of the thorax are long and subequal, the middle 

 members of the series, however, slightly exceeding the others in all di- 

 mensions. 



The first three abdominal segments are longer than any of the 

 thoracic and of remarkable depth, the third being the largest. The 

 remaining three segments diminish rapidly in size, and the telson is 

 small, conical, and upturned. 



The antennule is short and stout, its total length being but one-fifth 

 that of the body. It consists of a peduncle of three joints, of which tho 

 first is long and cylindrical, and the remaining two, remarkably short, 

 form considerably less than half of the peduncle. The flagellum consists 

 of a lono" conical basal joint, forming quite half its length, and of five or 

 six short tapering joints of the usual form. The secondary appendage 

 consists of two joints, the first of which, though much thinner and cy- 

 lindrical, exactly equals the first joint of the primary flagellum in 

 length, while the second joint is small and short. 



The antenna is subequal to the antennule, but of slighter build. 

 Its peduncle is longer, consisting of three joints of nearly equal length, 



