322 
BRITISH ENTOMOSTRACA. 
preceding, viz. the great difference of size, have been 
considered by Burmeister as strong objections to the truth 
of Nordmann’s conclusions. It is true many experiments 
and careful anatomical investigations are still wanting to 
establish conclusively the facts as stated by Nordmann, 
but still the observations made by him upon one or two 
genera leave little room to doubt the truth of the opinion 
as regards these individuals at least. Kroyer considers 
that the Lerneadse are at a very early age capable of 
breeding, though it is not yet known at what stage of 
development exactly they become so. Certain it is we 
see, in small specimens of some of these animals, small 
ovaries and a few eggs contained in them, whilst as the 
females increase in size the ovaries become larger, and the 
eggs more numerous. Burmeister affirms that the Ler- 
neadse only propagate once, and the ovary continues to 
increase in size, and the eggs to increase in number, till 
they become mature, and that then the parent Lernea 
has played her part. Kroyer doubts this ; and the op- 
posite opinion holds better with the analogy of the other 
Entomostracous Crustacea. But upon this point direct 
experiments are wanting. 
The animals belonging to the Lerneadse have been 
divided by M. Edwards into three families, according to the 
manner in which they become fixed to their prey. Some, 
as I have already mentioned, are attached by means of 
the head itself, which is furnished with one or more pairs 
of horn -shaped appendages projecting laterally; others by 
means of long arm-shaped appendages springing from the 
thorax, united to each other at the tip, and terminating in 
a horny button in the centre ; a third set again are fixed 
by the aid of stout foot-jaws, armed with strong hooks. 
These characters afford good marks of distinction, and I 
propose naming them accordingly : 
The first set are the Anchoraceracea ; 
The second are the Anchoracarpacea ; 
And the third are the Anchorastomacea. 
