358 Prefh Water 8 "quillet, 
ing neither jointed nor fcaly as the larger 
are, fome of which I have feen bigger than 
the Figure before the Reader. I know the 
8 qitill.ee change their Coats feveralTimes, and 
perhaps they may alfo change their Form. 
As the natural Hiftory of the Squilla is 
known to very few, I fhall here infert fome 
curious Obfervations made thereon by Mr. 
J'ofeph Sparfhall , of Wells in Norfolk j in a 
Letter dated April 6 th 1749. 
The following Obfervations (fays he) 
were made lafb Summer, whilft I lived at 
Wymondham , on an Infedt very common in 
the Handing Waters thereabouts ; I think it’s 
the fame defcribed by Mouffet in his Theatre 
of InfeBs , by the Name of the Squilla Aqua¬ 
tic a. —- In fearching for other Water In¬ 
fers, I have frequently found thefe amongft 
Weeds in Ponds and Ditches, full two In¬ 
ches and a half in Length. 
The Head of this Animal is broad, flat- 
tifh, and pretty tranfparent, being very thin 
in the fore Parts. It has no Mouth, nor 
does it feem to need any, for it takes in all 
its Nourishment through a large and flrong 
Pair of Forceps, one Limb of which is plac¬ 
ed on each Side its Head. Thefe Forceps are 
hollow aimed their whole Length, with a ve¬ 
ry frnall Aperture on their Iniide; and when 
the Creature has feted its Prey, the Juices are 
conveyed through the Forceps, by two Chan¬ 
nels, to about the Middle of the Head; where 
both 
