Ik 22 Marvels of the Universe 
own shores, whose shape is very like that of a big ant with very powerful nipper jaws. It has 
not such enormous eyes as its hatchet-jawed relation. 
Neasellus, the remaining species on the same page, looks like a ragged woodlouse. Little is known 
of its habits. It came from the island of Kerguelen. 
The Mantis Shrimp, whose portrait is shown on page 1121, is well-named, for its foremost legs 
—really part of the masticatory apparatus—have a very close resemblance to those of the Mantis, 
and are used in the same manner and to the same purpose. The end joint has its inner edge 
furnished with long teeth, which close down on a row of shorter teeth along the edge of the next 
joint, so that any creature imprisoned between the two joints is in a bad way. The succeeding 
three pairs of legs, though much smaller and differing in shape, are also furnished with a hook 
which closes down on the next joint and serves to hold smaller prey. Compared with the 
Shrimps we have been considering, this is a gigantic creature, its length being more than three 
inches. That is the length of 
specimens taken on our own 
southern shores; in the Medi- 
terranean it attains to much 
larger dimensions. It burrows 
in sand, and les with its 
head and big arms out of the 
burrow, into which it shoots 
backward with great rapidity 
on the slightest alarm. There 
are a number of closely-related 
species, similar in form and 
habit (with differences), and 
some of them are regularly 
hunted as articles of food, 
though owing to their alert- 
ness they are not caught 
Sa 
easily. 
[By 7. Carreras. Another singular Shrimp 
What with the abundance and length of its antennae and the length of its ten ©! Comparatively large size is 
walking-legs this shrimp appears to have enough to do to avoid a tangle. But inthe the Mud Burrower, though 
deep-sea he has room to spread them all out and keep them apart. if the scientific name be trans- 
lated we should call it the Beautiful Queen. It is rather lobster-like in form, though its “ shell ”’ 
is thin and parchment-like. The most striking thing about it is the disparity in the size of the 
two “ hands,” one of them being developed to an enormous size. Sometimes it is the left hand 
that is enlarged, sometimes the right. As the Mud Burrower, alias Beautiful Queen, lies in her 
burrow this big hand serves as a street-door, barring entrance to any undesirable callers and ever 
ready to be thrust out to seize anything palatable that may be passing. One can appreciate at a 
glance the narrowness of the “ head” in both these species when the burrowing habit is borne in 
mind. For a quick retreat to the rear into the burrow any enlargement of the foreparts would 
cause wedging that might be disastrous. This species, whose photograph is shown on page 1123, 
is coloured a beautiful bright pink, which fades after death, so that museum specimens fail to give 
a proper idea of its beauty. From what we have said about its burrowing habits, it must not be 
inferred that the species is incapable of anything else. As a matter of fact, when occasion demands 
or tastes incline that way, the Beautiful Queen can show herself as an active and graceful swimmer ; 
but as her shell is thin-and not much protection against the powerful jaws of some of the big 
fishes, she wisely spends the greater part of her life in the security of her burrow. 
A LONG-LEGGED SHRIMP. 
