466 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



sign to indicate the approaching ordeal. The cuticle split trans- 

 versely across the middle of the thorax, and the posterior part 

 became loose and white in colour as the air got in between the 

 old and new skins. The Woodlouse then began throwing waves 

 along the last half of the body ; the soft jelly-like consistency of 

 the new skin easily permitted this. In this way the old skin was 

 loosened, and the animal, by walking forward, drew out its limbs 

 and body free. As far as I could see, the legs of the old skin did 

 not split to allow the regenerated legs to escape the more easily, 

 as in the Lobster. As a rule, each of the two halves of the skin 

 are shed whole, but in this case the posterior half was badly 

 fractured, and the animal took a considerable time in ridding 

 itself of the fragments. The skin of the front part of the body 

 was shed in the same way after an interval of two days, which 

 allowed the hinder portion to become hard. 



On Sept. 25th this year I discovered a large Oniscus asellus 

 underneath a log of wood with crowds of others. It had shed the 

 last half of its skin, and the first half had so far severed its con- 

 nection with the body that the animal had no power whatever 

 over the half exuviated skin, but it walked about very readily on 

 its hind limbs when disturbed, carrying the rigid front half of its 

 body a little off the ground. It looked very ridiculous. At 

 length the front part of the head grew white ; this spread along 

 the lateral borders of the segments, and finally down the middle 

 of the dorsal surface, when, after a series of body-waves, the 

 animal drew back and freed itself. However, it was some time 

 before it left the shell entirely, for after the last effort it seemed 

 to rest on its oars, so to speak, and scarcely troubled to come out 

 of the old shell, though it was quite free to do so. The new legs 

 were useless for some time, but the antennse were soon on the 

 move, and waving nervously. 



Intermittently, I have been working for nearly fifteen months, 

 and of the twenty six British species I have taken sixteen in the 

 neighbourhood of Barnstaple. There is a list, in the recently 

 published ' Victoria County History of Devon,' by the Bev. 

 T. R. B. Stebbing, which enumerates fourteen. Of these I have 

 not yet taken Metoponorthus cingendus, which has only been 

 taken in South Devon and in Ireland. 



Ligia oceanica, Linn. — Common everywhere on the Biver Taw 



