1118 Marvels of the Universe 
Although, as stated, some of these ancient members of the Newt tribe were legless and had more 
likeness to snakes than to Newts, the majority had four legs, of which the hinder pair was commonly 
the larger. We have called them Newts instead of using the family name Amphibia, which includes 
the Frogs and Toads as a separate group from the reptiles with which they are popularly classed. 
Some of the ancient Amphibians were, of course, like toads of enormous size. Their footprints have 
been well preserved in the Triassic rocks of Europe, and bear striking testimony to the great in- 
equality between the fore and hind feet. The impression of the hind foot is very like that of the 
human hand. One of these toad-like creatures, whose footprints have come down to us, is named 
Cheirotherium on that account (Cheivos, hand, Gr.). The size of some of the largest of these may be 
gathered from the fact that the skull of a Mastodonsaurus is upwards of three feet in length. A 
; a wry peculiarity in which they differ 
from all modern representatives 
of their class (which have soft, 
scaleless skin) is that their bodies 
were protected by an armour 
formed of oval plates of bone. 
SOME CURIOUS 
SHRIMPS 
BY EDWARD STEP, F.L.S. 
ALL Shrimps are curious and 
worthy of consideration, even the 
Shrimps of commerce—Blackwall 
Shrimps, Gravesend Shrimps, and 
the lordly Shrimp that is dis- 
tinguished by the name of Prawn 
and sold by the dozen instead 
of by the pint. Having reached 
this point we have practically ex- 
hausted the list of species that have 
got English names, which means 
that these are the only species 
that are known to the public. 
jj the common Brown or Black- 
wall Shrimp be examined before 
being peeled and eaten, one can 
get some idea of its structure, 
though zoological specimens that 
have been boiled are not the best 
for the purpose of study. Still, we 
can discover several facts from the 
examination of such specimens. 
First, we learn that a Shrimp is 
built on much the same lines as 
Sen a Lobster, though its armour- 
ANEMONE-CARRYING CRAB. plating is not fortified with such 
Melia, a crab of the Indian Ocean, detaches anemones from the rocks and thick deposits of lime as in that 
goes hunting with one in each of its pincer-claws The anemone catches food 
and the crab shares the spoils. gigantic Shrimp. The Prawn and 
