45 
very compressed, furnished on the outer edge with a finely 
denticulate crest and covered with hairs above. Length about 
five inches.”’ There is evidence that this description is from 
an actual specimen of the animal. 
In 1841 de Haan mentioned Homanus capensis with little 
additional information, and in 1843 Krauss mentions it with 
no further details than that he had never seen it in Natal. 
Diners Huxley wrote: “I must myseli coniess to be in 
a hopeless state of perplexity respecting the Crayfish or 
Lobster which is said to occur at the Cape of Good Hope.”’ 
He thinks it impossible to suppose that Herbst could have 
made a mistake as to all the legs of the animal being chelate, 
and this is one of the chief stumbling blocks in the determina- 
tion of the animal. 
lmenoe@> Eercuck thus refers to the Cape Lobster: °’A-third 
form Homanus capensis has been imperfectly described from 
the Cape of Good Hope, but it is doubtful if it belongs to this 
genus.” 
In the year 1890 I was fortunate in procuring two specimens 
of a lobster from shallow water at Sea Point, and forwarded 
iiemmotne Ikey. 1. KR. R. Stebbing,. F.R.S.,.who was then 
working on the collection of crustacea made by the ‘“ Pieter 
Faure,’ and who at once surmised that this was the much 
misunderstood crayfish of Herbst. He thinks that the traces 
of a rich red colouring is a characteristic which combines with 
the general proportions and the structure of the front chelipeds 
to produce conviction that these specimens belong to the 
species described by Herbst, and “that they belong to the 
species described by Milne-Edwards there can be no doubt 
since they agree with his description at all points.”’ He gives 
a full description of the animal, which leaves no doubt but 
that it is as much entitled to the designation “lobster’’ as 
the well known forms of the northern hemisphere, distin- 
guished from them only by its small size, having body and 
claws and flattened hands of the front claws. He also mentions 
the colour (so far as was then known) as a distinguishing feature, 
but I have subsequently to this had an opportunity of noting 
that in the fresh state it is of a rather dark olive colour, not 
dissimilar to that of the Northern lobster. 
Writing in 1912 of the Cape Lobster, Herrick says with 
reference to Stebbing’s account: “At last the Cape Lobster 
thus emerges as a true species of small size and attractive 
appearance, and, like its more famous relatives in Europe and 
America, it lives only in salt water. It is sincerely hoped 
that zoologists will not have to wait another half century 
for an adequate account of both its habits and development.” 
He adds that, as if this form were doomed to confusion, 
the term Astacus has been applied to it along with other true 
lobsters, ‘‘but, since the decision of the International Com- 
mission was rendered in August, 1910, in favour of restricting 
[C.P. 31918] 
