638 
NATURAL HISTORY. 
and thus propel themselves along by repeatedly injecting 
and rejecting it; it is met with in large quantities, is highly 
phosphorescent, and appears to be no small cause of the 
luminous appearance of the southern seas. A beautiful Me- 
dusa is abundant in Queen Charlotte's Sound, shaped like 
a six-petalled flower, having an inner circle with double that 
number, and a cross formed by four ovals in the centre. 
The corals, coralines, and flustra of New Zealand, present 
a wide field of interest to the naturalist. A jointed coral 
of the genus, izis, is found on the east coast of large size. 
A few words must be said of the sponges, pungoru-ngoru, 
hautai. New Zealand possesses many varieties of them, and 
some are equal in every respect to the best from Turkey, 
both in size, fineness, and firmness of texture. The sponge 
is an article so useful and expensive, that it is a pity no 
attention has yet been paid to it ; specimens were sent to the 
Royal Exhibition in 1851 . The finest which have fallen under 
the writer's notice were obtained near the Sugar Loaves, 
Taranaki, nor have any equal to them been found south of 
that place. It is a valuable spot for a sponge fishery, and 
were one established, it could not fail being remunerative. 
Of the Crustacea , it may be remarked, that New Zealand 
does not possess the Palinurus, or true lobster, nor even 
a crab at all approaching those of England in size, the 
largest being of very diminutive proportions. The best 
proof of its insignificance is, that even the natives, who are 
omniverous, do not think them worth collecting for food. 
There are, however, many varieties of the Cancer, that which 
most nearly approaches the C. Paguria of the English seas, 
attains a size of about two inches across the carapace. The 
crab found in the mussel is orbicular in form, but the largest 
kind is shaped like the spider, and covered with spines and 
hair, Eriphia spinifrons. The soldier crabs are abundant, 
appropriating to themselves deserted shells suited to their 
size. A small crab, rerepari papaka , frequents the banks of 
tidal rivers, and salt-water marshes. A diminutive crab is 
found sixty miles up the Waikato river, and a very small 
one in the lake on the north shore, Auckland, which is 
