CRUSTACEA OF THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 219 



Palsemon varians, Leach. This species is abundant in the estuaries of 

 rivers, but occurs only in one locality in the Channel Islands, viz., the 

 brackish ditches near the Yale Castle, Guernsey. 



CUMACEA. 



This group is well represented on our shores, and the 

 species are probably numerous, but they have not been studied 

 by me, and I can only gi\ e the names of the following species 

 which are mentioned by Professor Bell, all of which I have 

 taken in Jersey. 



Cuma Edwardsii, Bell. 



C. Audouinii, Edic. 



C. tpispinosa, Bell. 



Alauna rostrata, Beii. 



Bodotria arenosa, Bell. 

 These five species are abundant with us, and form a 

 constant portion of the haul taken by townetting at surface on 

 summer nights. 



Mysis chameleon, Tkomp. Abundant on our sandy and gravelly shores. 

 The specific name has been given to this crustacean on account of its 

 supposed ability to change colour according to its surroundings, and it is 

 used as an illustration of such power of colour change in many important 

 books. All I can say is that I have never seen any such alteration in 

 Mysis, and I have had abundant opportunities of studying the genus. I 

 suspect there has been some confusion between the present species and 

 Sippolyte varians. The Mysids are the " Fairy Shrimps " and " Opossum 

 Shrimps ' ' of popular nomenclature. This order has been entirely revised 

 and to a great extent renamed, but I follow as before the old names in 

 Bell's Crustacea. 



Mysis OPnata, Tkomp. Even more abundant than the last, at least in Jersey, 

 and largely taken for use as a ground bait, especially for attractnig mul- 

 let for angling. Larg'e quantities are taken in big triangular hand-nets 

 of cheese-cloth or horse -hair cloth, salted and stored in pans for use. 

 Tliis compost is locally termed Chevrin or Cherve^ anglicised into Shervy, 

 and many of the poorer fishermen supplement their meagre earnings by 

 this fishery. It is retailed by them at about four shillings per gallon. The 

 localities in Jersey in which this Mysis most abounds are the gravelly 

 pools among the Zostera beds in St. Aubin's Bay, G-reve d'Azette, and 

 near (rreen Island. The mixture I have described is not always composed 

 of M. ornata only. Recently I overhauled a cherve fisher's catch — about 

 two gallons— and it consisted vlmost entirely of M. chameleon. 



Mysis GPifflthsise, Bell. Much less common than either of the last two 

 species. I have only seen it among the captures of the tow net. 



STOMATOPODA. 



Squilla Desmarestii, Risso. Mantis Shrimp. This curious crustacean is 

 supposed to be rare on our shores, very few fishermen having ever seen 

 one ; and yet it must be plentiful, for its larval stages, the so-called 

 Erichthus and Alima, are constant in tow-net gatherings during the sum- 

 mer months. And on one occasion after a heavy storm coincident with 

 a \erj low spring tide, vast quantities of them were washed up on the 

 eastern shore of Jersey. I had them brought to me literally by the bushel, 

 and used them for manuring my garden. 



