262 OF THE DEEP-SEA CRUSTACEA 



eyes. Similarly with the HoplophoridcE, another family 

 of oceanic shrimps : the only Indian species whose 

 eyes are small and defective is Acanthephyra microph- 

 tkalmus, and this is a species which dredging after 

 dredging, and year after year, we never see unless 

 the dredge is let down into the actual shades below 

 1500 fathoms. On the other hand, most of the 

 abyssal hermit-crabs have quite perfect, though small, 

 eyes : such is the case with Parapagiirus pilosimanus 

 (Fig. 67), a creature that we know must crawl about 

 on the bottom, but which we have brought up from 

 a depth of 1997 fathoms, where there can be no trace 

 of daylight. We must remember, however, that a 

 great many hermit-crabs live in partnership with 

 zoophytes, and that many zoophytes have the power 

 of emitting bright flashes of light. Parapylocheles 

 Scorpio (Fig. 54), from 405 fathoms, is singular in 

 having minute and pale eyes ; but as this species is 

 quite symmetrical, it evidently does not live in a spiral 

 shell encrusted with zoophytes, but is probably a bur- 

 rower, in which case its defects of eye are accounted 

 for. The feather-crab, Ptenoplax notopus (Fig. 55), 

 though it lives at a depth of only 100-250 fathoms, 

 where daylight should not be entirely obscured, has very 

 minute eyes, instead of the staring organs that we 

 should expect : it evidently is not a burrower, for its 

 legs seem to be specially modified to keep it from 

 sinking into mud, so that we must propose some 



