1 882.] The Crustacean Nebalia, etc. 86 1 



same act is thrown back so as to bring the entire weight upon the 

 firmly planted hind feet, in which, and in the thighs, and on the 

 back the muscles are powerful, hence comes the tremendous 

 spring. In alighting, the forward feet nearly close together, touch 

 the ground first ; then come down the hinder feet, striking out- 

 ,side and forward of the front feet. Thus is made a double track, 

 • the large and wide one outside and forward of the small one, like 

 the kangaroo's track, with this singular difference, the latter makes 

 his double tracks walking, for when leaping the fore feet do not 

 touch the ground. These peculiarities of rabbit tracks were no- 

 ticed by that delightful naturalist, Robert Kennicott, in 1857, who 

 adds : " In making the longest leaps the fore feet strike in a line, 

 one behind the other, and at some distance in the rear of the 

 hind ones, as if they had been again raised before the latter had 

 touched the surface." It is noticeable that when in quest of food 

 on the snow, their tracks are made of leaps about four feet long. 

 The strategic tact and knowingness of the wild rabbit was well 

 understood by the plantation negroes, who held the little fellow 

 in an affection not less than that of the Feejee for fat missionary. 

 The upper side of the rabbit's tail is brown, but it has a persist- 

 ence in showing the under side, which is like a toilet puff, cottony 

 white. The tail being ordinarily carried erect, looks like a tuft 

 of pure clean cotton, or a fresh opened cotton ball, hence its 

 familiar name among the negroes — "little cotton tail." Uncle 

 Remus, though partial, always gets fraternal when on this subject, 

 and makes the cunning " brer rabbit " circumvent the slyness of 

 "brer fox." 



(To be continued.) 



THE CRUSTACEAN NEBALIA AND ITS FOSSIL 



ALLIES, REPRESENTING THE ORDER 



PHYLLOCARIDA. 



BY A. S. PACKARD, JR. 



I- — The Structure and Development of Nebalia. 

 GOOD deal of interest is attached to this little Crustacean, 

 on account of its composite nature and its evident relation- 

 ship to some curious fossils which are usually placed among the 

 p hyllopods. The following exposition of the structure of Ne- 

 alia bipes, which is sometimes dredged on our coast, and the 

 remarks on its fossil allies may prove to be of interest to our 



A 



