Mr. R. I. Pocock on Ebalia nux. 
471 
for having left this matter in doubt ; but when I said that 
two specimens had been “ selected as types ” I thought I was 
employing phraseology perfectly intelligible to every syste- 
matic zoologist. Since, however, I clearly fell into error by 
taking this for granted in Canon Norman’s case, I am glad 
that he has shown me the necessity for explaining that the 
expression was tantamount to saying that the description had 
been drawn up from these specimens. I imagine, however, 
perhaps wrongly, that Canon Norman does not altogether 
approve of my conduct in describing specimens that he had 
sent to Mr. Miers at the Natural History Museum ; for he 
appeals to the judgment of others to decide as to the courtesy 
of this act. Now 1 cannot help thinking that if Canon Nor- 
man had stayed for a moment to ask himself what could be 
my reasons for thus describing these specimens, he would 
have done me the justice to see that I was acting altogether 
for the best. But to state at length all the considerations 
which influenced me in the matter would involve a long 
explanation of my personal opinions as to the value and 
significance of types of species — an explanation which would 
be wholly out of place on an occasion like the present. Con- 
sequently 1 shall content myself with saying briefly that my 
reasons tor not describing the ‘ Flying Fox’ specimen were 
in the main three in number There was but one speci- 
men, and that a damaged one ; (2) this specimen, as I pointed 
out, differs slightly, but certainly, in sculpturing, from the 
Mediterranean specimens that I had seen ; and (3) I conse- 
quently thought it both expedient and just, when adopting 
the name Canon Norman had proposed, to affix it definitely 
to specimens to which he had himself applied it. 
And, lastly, Canon Norman accuses me of carelessness for 
not consulting the work in which Prof. A. Milne-Edwards 
has admirably figured Ebalia 7iux — a work which should 
certainly not have been neglected by a man writing on 
Atlantic Crustaceans with a u magnificent library at his 
elbow.” In reply to this I cannot do better than quote 
verbatim an extract from a letter which I received some three 
or four weeks ago from Prof. A. Milne-Edwards. Being 
unable to find the figure of Ebalia nux from the reference 
that Canon Norman gives, I wrote to Prof. Milne-Edwards 
on the point, and he courteously and promptly replied as 
follows : — u .... J’ai effectivement figure 1’ Ebalia nux dans 
un ouvrage intitule Recueil de figures de Crustaces nouveaux 
ou peu connus , in 4°, 44 Planches , Avril , 1883. Cet ouvrage 
n’a ete tir 6 qu’a 50 exemplaires que j’ai de suite envoye aux 
naturalistes qui, a cette 6poque, s’occupaient de carcinologie. 
