A HISTORY OF DEVONSHIRE 



also two brownish rusty blotches on the large anterior foot ; the sides of the thorax and tail 

 appendages ochraceous yellow ; the rest pale flesh colour.' ^ As to another rare species Leach 

 writes, * Axius stirynchus was first obtained by myself at Sidmouth, where it was taken amongst 

 prawns on the shore, Montagu afterwards procured near Plymouth another specimen, which 

 forms part of his collection of British Zoology, lately purchased by the trustees of the British 

 Museum.' ^ Bell observes that the occurrence among prawns on the shore must have been purely 

 accidental, as this, like the two preceding species, is essentially fossorial in habit. For the 

 occurrence in Devonian waters of Bell's purblind Calocaris macandreae we have Mr. Robert 

 Gurney's authority. But he only claims to have observed the ' Zoaea stage.' ' Of the adult Bell 

 writes that ' it occasionally inhabits a depth of no less than one hundred and eighty fathoms, in 

 which situation it is fossorial in sandy mud.' * With such a moat around its fortress-burrow it 

 may well escape any frequent capture even by man's ingenuity, Messrs, J. T. Cunningham and 

 R. A. Todd report rare occurrences of Arctm ursus at Plymouth stations.* 



For Palinurus vulgaris, the crawfish, and Astacus gammarus, the common lobster, as members of 

 the Devonian fauna, we might adopt the expression of Gerarde the herbalist, and give the testimony 

 of ' what our eies have scene and handes have touched ' both at Torquay and Salcombe. For 

 the occurrence of the pretty Norway lobster, Nephrops norwegicus, in these waters, we have to 

 rely on the authority of Dr, Moore, whose remark upon it is : ' Rare ; we have two excellent 

 Devon specimens in our museum.' This sort of record, without specification of precise locality, 

 is far from satisfactory, since an enthusiastic collector might easily purchase specimens in 

 the county without thinking to inquire whether they had been imported from a distance or 

 otherwise. The river crayfish, Potamohius pallipes (LerebouUet), is for this reason under much 

 suspicion. Mr. Moore says, ' I am doubtful if this be common in our rivers, as on trying to 

 procure specimens we are sure to have Palinurus sent. We have, however, a good Devon specimen 

 in our museum from Mr. Prideaux,' ^ On the distribution of this species Mr. Parfitt contributes 

 the following important observations : * I have made inquiries in every direction where I thought to 

 obtain reliable information respecting this species as indigenous in Devonshire, but I cannot hear from 

 any one that it is so. Mr. Paulman, author of The Book of the Axe, informs me that he does not 

 know it in any stream west of the Frome which flows by Dorchester. They were formerly, and he 

 believes still are, very plentiful in the meadows between Dorchester and Maiden Newton. And, he 

 says, ' I remember years ago making inquiries on the Otter, but the people whom I saw never heard 

 of the " craytur." They are found plentifully at Salisbury, and they are also taken in the Tone at 

 Taunton, as I have had specimens from both places. Now, if we draw a line across from the British 

 to the Bristol Channel, beginning in the meadows at Maiden Newton, the line would cut Taunton 

 at an angle of about 45 degrees west, and terminate in Wachet [Watchet] Bay, and so far as I am 

 able to ascertain this species is not found west of this line. This crayfish is considered by some to be 

 almost a necessary adjunct to a dish of trout, by supplying a delicious sauce nearly equal to lobster ; 

 and some streams supply both the fish and the sauce ; but although we got [get] a tolerable supply 

 of trout, the sauce appears to be wanting in our Devonshire streams. It would be an interesting 

 inquiry to ascertain the reason of the absence of this species in Devon, and particularly as it comes 

 so near without stepping over the boundary.' ^ 



These remarks are very likely to be overlooked, as they occur not in an essay on distribution, 

 but in one entitled Crustacea Podothalmata, and the Histology of their Shells. Among the numerous 

 shrimps and prawns of the tribe Caridea there are many which call for comment, but in order to 

 leave space for the several remaining divisions of our subject, notice will only be taken of one which 

 has arather exceptional interest. Leach, when establishing the genus Processa in 1815, writes : 'The 

 discovery of the species constituting this most curious and interesting genus is the result of Montagu's 

 indefatigable labours. The circumstance of the legs on different sides of the same animal being 

 different in length is hot an uncommon occurrence in several crustaceous genera, but this is the first 

 instance in which the legs of opposite sides have been found to differ in essential structure,' He is 

 referring to the fact that in Processa canaliculata the first pair of legs are not a proper pair, as a rule 

 one of them being chelate, the other simple or monodactyle, as it is sometimes called, while also in 

 the second pair one is very long, having both its wrist and forearm many-jointed, the other much 

 shorter, with the wrist alone many-jointed. To his description of it Leach appends the remark that 

 ' Montagu discovered a single specimen of the above species at Torcross in the southern coast of 

 Devon, and with his usual liberality sent it to me for this work.' In a footnote he says : 

 * Since writing the above I have received intelligence of the death of this most zealous zoologist, in 

 whom science has lost an able supporter, the world an accomplished gentleman, and his friends a 



' Trans. Devon. Assoc, iv, 184, 185, with a reference to Mont. MSS. t. 24, f. i, A. 



* Make. Pod. Brit, (i Sept. 18 16), text to pi. xxxiii. ' Joum. Mar. Biol. Assoc, vii, 252. 



^ Brit. Stalk-eyed Crust, 235. ^ Joum. Mar. Biol. Assoc, vii, 252. 



" Charlesviforth, Mag. Nat. Hist, (new ser.) (1839), iii. 289. ' Trans. Devon. Assoc, iv. 179. 



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