PRAWNS. 



191 



resemblance to their parents than a newly-hatched 

 blind chick does to a gallant game cock. They 

 seem to be gregarious in their habits, and at a 

 little distance look like a cloud of active white 

 particles. They can be easily brought together 

 for observation, or captured, by holding a lighted 

 candle to the side of the vessel which contains 

 them; for they crowd to the light like so many 

 moths or gnats, which latter insects they slightly 

 resemble. Unfortunately, many marine animals 

 are very fond of young shrimps, and a great 

 amount of catching and eating goes on whenever 

 a fresh batch of shrimps comes into existence 

 so that only a very small per centage attain 

 maturity. 



The prawns when living are most exquisite 

 beings, their partially transparent bodies being 

 diversified with delicate tintings, and their radiant 

 eyes glowing like living opals. A boiled prawn 

 loses as much of its living beauty as a trout or a 

 mackerel when subjected to the same process. I 

 have already remarked that the compound eyes 

 of the Crustacea are analogous to the correspond- 

 ing organs in the insects, and the analogy is 

 further carried out by the power of refl.ecting 

 and refracting light. The eyes of many insects, 

 especially those who fly by night, possess this 



