5774 Crustacea. 



lines drifted ashore, as Merrion lines. Spawns in March, April, May. 

 Ova pale purple. There is a well-marked variety of this crab with 

 the claws less spiny and smaller than the typical B. streblonyx ; the 

 sides of the chelae also are strictly parallel, and the specimens are 

 much rarer. This is the form recorded, in doubt, by me as B. 

 Prideauxii, in a paper read before the Dublin Natural History Society, 

 March 13, 1857, Comparison with the typical specimens of B. Pri- 

 deauxii in the British Museum collection have convinced me my spe- 

 mens are not that crab. Whether they are more than a variety, 

 therefore, remains to be proved. Though I have taken them fre- 

 quently, I have never found them in spawn. They differ from B. 

 Prideauxii in the shape of the wrist of the smaller fore-leg. Local 

 name " Soldier. 1 ' 



Dublin Hermit Crab {Bernhardus Eblaniensis, mihi). I am not 

 quite convinced of the non-identity of this species with B. Ulidianus, 

 W. Thompson ; however, until I can obtain typical specimens of that 

 form I must leave it in doubt. The species was recorded by me in 

 the e Proceedings of the Dublin Natural History Society,' March 13, 

 1857 {vide Nat. Hist. vol. iv. p. 85), as follows: — 



" Bernhardus Eblaniensis. 



"Resembling young of B. streblonyx. Hands more regularly glo- 

 bular, very granular, a raised denticulate line marking exterior edge; 

 terminal extremities of posterior pair of legs scarcely twisted. Colour 

 reddish white ; legs prettily banded with reddish pink." 



It occurs exclusively in deeper water, as at Dalkey (15 — 30 

 fathoms) and Bray (25 fathoms) ; it also occurs, though rarely, in the 

 lobster and whelk pots ; and one striking peculiarity about it is that 

 it almost always inhabits clean and recent Natica shells. It is found 

 in spawn in December, January and February, much earlier than 

 B. streblonyx. Ova very dark chocolate-colour. I have never 

 found the intermediate-sized specimens of that species in spawn at 

 all ; and, though this species in form is almost indistinguishable from 

 the littoral form of B. streblonyx, I must consider them separate 

 species. 



Hairy Hermit Crab {Bernhardus cuanensis, W. Thomps. sp.) Co- 

 ralline and laminarian zones, in dredge exclusively. Dalkey Sound, 

 not uncommon ; Bray scallop bank, extremely common. and beauti- 

 ful. In the latter station it inhabits shells coated over with Ha- 



