48 
BRITISH ENTOMOSTRACA. 
and softness of its movements, its silvery transparency, 
or its brilliant colours, its large black eyes, the small 
spot which it carries on its head, the crown of the male, 
are a beautiful sight, which the most indifferent observer 
cannot see without pleasure.” It is certainly the most 
beautiful and elegant of all the Entomostraca. The male 
is especially beautiful. The uninterrupted undulatory, 
wavy motion of its graceful branchial feet, slightly tinged 
as they are with a light reddish hue, the brilliant mixture 
of transparent bluish green and bright red of its pre- 
hensile antennae, and its bright red tail, with the beautifully 
plumose setae springing from it, render it really ex- 
ceedingly attractive to the view. 
The undulatory motion of its branchial feet serves another 
purpose in addition to that of keeping the animal suspended 
in the water. The thorax or body of the animal has been 
described, when floating on its back, as like the cavity of 
a little boat, the feet representing the oars. When these 
are in motion, they cause the water contained in this boat- 
like cavity to be compressed, and to mount up as along a 
canal, carrying in the current the particles destined for its 
food towards the mouth. It seems to be constantly, when 
in this position, employed in swallowing and digesting its 
food, its masticatory organs being in perpetual motion. 
Shaw imagined this little creature to be a fierce and 
voracious beast of prey, but it is not so ; he was misled 
in so thinking, by not understanding the true use of 
its prehensile antennae. These he imagined were organs 
for seizing its victims and crushing them to death ; 
though he candidly admits that he never saw them attack 
other animals, and even says that he has seen them 
succumb to the assaults of the Cypris. According to 
Prevost, they live upon dead animal or vegetable matter; 
but they have apparently little taste, for they swallow 
every sort of thing that comes in their way, however 
hurtful it may be. Schceffer says that he found great 
difficulty in keeping the Branchipus alive after having 
been taken out of the water in which they were found, and 
