DREDGING IN THE RIVER CROUCH.
87
not very lively. Such reversed shells are not uncommon, but this
I believe, is the first record of a genuine Essex native The shell,
operculum, and a portion of the body I have preserved; but I found
it impossible to remove the remainder of the body from the shell.
A fine specimen of one of the Cephalopods was taken in the
Crouch on the 21st November last, by the crew of the smack
"Effort" whilst sprat fishing. After being on view at the Old Ship
Hotel, it was bought by Mr. Rogers, who sent it on to Mr. Fitch,
and he brought it on to me. It is a fine, well-grown specimen of
the Common Squid (Loligo forbesii), and from the end of the body
to the extreme tip of the long arms measures 2 feet 51/2 inches, the
body itself being 143/4 inches in length. The greatest width of the
body, including the lateral lobes or fins, is 61/2 inches. The suckers
are all serrated, thus enabling the creature to grasp with a firm hold,
the largest being 3/16 of an inch in diameter on the long arms; and
on measuring I found that one of these arms is half an inch longer
than the other, one measuring 123/4, and the other 121/4; the head is
about 2 inches long. This specimen is certainly a well-grown one,
and I hoped that it had not been surpassed; but the internal "pen"
(which I have not extracted) cannot be more than 15 inches in
length. I have subsequently been informed by Mr. Edgar Smith
that the Newcastle Museum has one of these "pens" 22 inches
in length, from a Squid taken on the Northumberland coast. That
must have been a veritable giant among his fellows.
Among the Crustaceans—the new captures were three speci-
mens of a Spider Crab (Stenorhyncus tenuirostris); a form I was
rather surprised to see brought up here, though it is fairly common
on the Dorset coast.
Several of the Pycnogons were also taken, both male and female
of P. littorale, the latter possessing a pair of six-jointed false feet for
carrying the eggs; and several specimens of Nymphon gracile of
good size. On looking over the debris at home, I found two minute
forms which form a new Essex record; but I had a great deal of
trouble in their identification. They turn out to be Anoplodactylus
petiolatus and Ammothea lavis; and, from the specimen I have
mounted as a micro-slide, it may be seen how interesting these
small and little-known species are.
I am indebted to Mr. A. O. Walker, of Colwyn Bay, for kindly
identifying these.
Until recently, the identification of these curious creatures has