456 DESCRIPTION OF THE MUSEUM. 



the specimens he has collected in India. All the 

 species are labelled, and placed according to their 

 affinity. Those which were too large to enter 

 the frames are placed in twenty-seven glazed 

 boxes on the cornices of the cases which contain 

 the carnivorous animals. 



The first boxes, those on the left of the en- 

 trance, contain a series of lobsters (palinurus), 

 many of which attract attention by the variety 

 of their colours. The most beautiful is the {pa- 

 linurus ornatus) ; one specimen of which was 

 sent to us from the Isle of France by captain 

 Mathieu of the artillery, with several other rare 

 and well preserved crustaceae. In the three fol- 

 lowing boxes is the cancer gammar us, Lin., one 

 of which, 3 feet long, was sent from North 

 America by M. Milbert. Next to these is the 

 genus calappa, Fabr., which cover the anterior 

 part of their body with their fore feet, which 

 terminate in a flat crest, and are raised perpen- 

 dicularly. Lastly, the portunus, Fabr., which re- 

 sembles our common crab, excepting that its 

 hind feet are shaped into a sort of fin. 



On the opposite cornice, near the entry into 

 the room of the pachydermala, we see a very 

 large crab which inhabits the seas of New Hol- 

 land; immediately after which are the gecar^ 

 ciiii) Leach. Their habits are very remarkable ; 



