NATURAL HISTORY. 
639 
distinguished by having a depressed tuberculous carapace, 
with a saucer-like rim, the lip and claws thickly covered with 
hair-like spines, resembling Pagurus Pelosus. That lake has 
every appearance of having been once filled with sea water ; 
all its inhabitants, though diminutive, have a marine ap- 
pearance ; it contains sponges, shrimps, a black slug, and a 
transparent gelatinous zoophyte attached to the rocks, which 
is highly phosphorescent ; even its weeds resemble marine 
Algae. 
The Koura, Palinurus cray fish, attains a size of full two 
feet ; it is abundant, well flavored, and highly esteemed, the 
natives take them in baskets, which they weight and let 
down into the parts they frequent. The fresh- water Koura , 
or Karawai, astacus fluviatilis, differs little from the marine 
one, except in size and color, it is generally from three to 
four inches long, although it attains nearly double that size in 
the Rotorua Lake, and at the Paparoa Rapid, 150 miles up 
the Wanganui, it is found fully ten inches long, probably a 
different species, being long, narrow, and more spiny ; whilst 
the marine cray fish is red, the fresh-water one is black, 
although, according to the proverb, Ka whe te hour a , — it no 
sooner touches the hot water than it becomes red. 
Of the Palmonidce, may be mentioned a large shrimp, 
mama iti, and a small one, ho iviti-witi moana ; a very minute 
fresh-water one, and a sand hopper, amphipoda class myria- 
poda. New Zealand possesses a centipede, hura , four or five 
inches long, of a dirty yellow olive color, with a purple shade 
in the sun ; it is little less than the Australian one, but does 
not appear to be equally dangerous, for although frequently 
handled by children shews little inclination to bite, still it 
may not be altogether innoxious. There is also a smaller one, 
weri, of about half the size of the former, of a yellow buff 
color, yrith more legs than the larger; and likewise a still 
smaller one, wehe, with innumerable legs, the insect is long, 
but little more than a line in thickness, of a light buff color. 
A large Marine centipede, toki warau, is also common. 
Class Arachnida. The native name for all spiders is Pun - 
gawerewere , or Puawere . One only is dignified by another 
