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OCCUREENCE OF SCTLLARUS AECTUS IN ENGLAND. 



Note on the Occurrence of the Crustacean Scyllarus Arctus in 

 England. By Jonathan Couch, Esq., F.L.S. 



[Read Dec. 5, 1861.] 



The Scyllarus Arctus has been of too rare occurrence in Britain 

 to have acquired an English name ; and, indeed, it appears uncer- 

 tain whether hitherto its existence on our shores has ever been 

 placed beyond a doubt. It has been said that one example, and 

 perhaps two, have been found in Mount's Bay, in Cornwall ; but 

 as the same authority reports it to have its residence in shallow 

 water, where it lives in a burrow formed by itself, and we have 

 proof that it has been carefully sought for in vain in the district 

 referred to, there seems to have been some reason hitherto for 

 retaining a distrust of the evidence which could only rest on the 

 supposed occurrence of examples twice in the space of a hundred 

 years. This difficulty, however, can no longer be felt ; and I have 

 the satisfaction of reporting to the Linnean Society the occurrence 

 of a specimen, which was obtained at a distance of about a couple 

 of leagues from this place (Polperro). The discovery itself is due 

 to the diligence of Mr. William Laughrin, A.L.S., whose practice of 

 examining the stomachs of fishes has been long continued, and for 

 scarce specimens of Crustaceans highly successful ; but it was only 

 at the beginning of this present November (1861) that he was so 

 fortunate as to find the Crustacean here mentioned. It was in 

 the stomach of a Cod, which was taken with a line by a fisherman 

 of Polperro, at the depth of about forty fathoms ; and from this 

 depth of water we learn that this Crustacean is not so entirely, if 

 at all, an inhabitant near the shore and in shallow water, as has 

 been supposed. This example of a rare Crustacean had suffered 

 very slightly from the digestive action of the stomach ; and in its 

 prison it had for its companions two specimens of Alpheus 

 ruber — a species which appears to exist in considerable numbers 

 on the ground frequented by the codfish at the depth above 

 specified. 



On a New Genus of Tunicata occurring on one of the Bel Ion a 

 Kcefk By .John Dims DONALD, R.N., P.E.8., Surgeon 

 of 1 1. .M.S. 'Icarus.' (Communicated by the Secretary.) 



[Read Dec. 5, 1801.] 



Amom.st many interesting objects of natural history obtained by 

 If. M.S. < Herald ' during her visit to the Bellona lieefs (lat. 21° 



