_DISCOVERIES AMONG THE CRUSTACEA._
THE reader will find this chapter, as well as the next, rather
uninteresting. But it is necessary that the chapters should be written,
in order to show the contributions which Edward made to the scientific
discoveries of his day.
[Sidenote: _CORRESPONDENCE WITH MR. BATE._]
Mr. C. Spence Bate of Plymouth, the well-known zoologist, entered into
correspondence with Edward in 1856, while the latter was engaged in
collecting marine objects along the sea-coast of Banff. It appears that
Mr. Bate had sent to Edward some publications on Natural History, and
that Edward requested Mr. Bate to name the various Crustaceans which
he sent him. To this Mr. Bate willingly assented, and a correspondence
began between them, which continued for many years. Most of the letters
have been lost, and those which have been preserved “in the box in the
lumber garret” are not of very great interest.
Edward seems to have been particularly busy between the years 1861
and 1865. Multitudes of bottles were sent, during that interval, from
Banff to Plymouth. The bottles were often smashed in passing through
the post. Sometimes there was only a mass of debris to examine. In one
batch there was a new species of Leucothoe; in another, part of an
Eusirus—“the _first_ British specimen.”
In one of his letters, Mr. Bate says: “There are two minute specimens
of a prawn which I do not recognise. They are too much damaged for
examination; but if you can find any perfect ones like these, I should
like you to send them to me. I will send you shortly a paper that I
have recently published in the _Annals of Natural History_ on the
“Nest-Building Crustacea.” If you know or meet with any anecdotes
relative to these animals, I should be glad if you would communicate
them to me, as I am endeavouring to collect all of that kind that
I can. I assure you that your letters are always welcome, and much
valued.”
In the midst of Edward’s explorations, he discovered a new Isopod,
which he forwarded to Mr. Bate. It was specifically named, in honour of
the discoverer, _Praniza Edwardii_.[47] On subsequent examination, and
after comparing it with the Anceus, Messrs. Bate and Westwood changed
the name into _Anceus Edwardii_.[48]
[Sidenote: _THE ANCEUS._]
The Anceus is only about a sixth of an inch in length. But, in Natural
History, size goes for nothing. The minutest animal is equal to the
largest, in point of value and interest. The Anceus creeps on the
bottom of the sea; but it swims with great rapidity,—propelling itself
forward by the quick motions of a series of ciliated fins placed
beneath the tail. The Anceus, in its young state, is parasitical, and
is furnished with a sharp process at the apex of the anterior lip,
to form a strong lanceolate organ, with which the animal cuts its
way through the skin of the fish on which it preys. It was at first
thought that _Praniza Edwardii_ was a female, and that the male had
not yet been discovered. On seeing this stated in the number of the
_Sessile-eyed Crustacea_ in which the Praniza was noticed, Edward wrote
the following letter to Mr. Spence Bate:—
[Illustration: PRANIZA EDWARDII.
LARVA.]
[Sidenote: _PRANIZA EDWARDII._]
“My dear Sir—Some considerable time ago I sent you
amongst other things, what I believed to be two
distinct species of Anceus,—the one being considerably
smaller than the other. Of the lesser, there were
several specimens; but of the larger, only two. The
answer which you gave me was, that they were _Anceus
maxillaris_. At this I was somewhat disappointed. I
admit that the larger were of that species, but not
the smaller. And since I received your last number,
which treats on this subject, I am now more than
ever convinced that they are distinct. I consider
the smaller specimen to be the male of the _Praniza
Edwardii_. I may be wrong, but that is my conviction.
I need not, of course, attempt to point out the
distinctions to you; but perhaps you will allow me to
state a few words on the subject, and what makes me
think that he is the male of _Praniza Edwardii_.
“In the first place, I would say that this little
fellow is decidedly a deep-sea species,—that is, so far
as my experience goes. I have never found him but on
the old shells and stones brought up by the fishermen’s
lines. There he seems to prowl about seeking what he
may devour,—prying into every crevice and corner in
search of food, and also into the tenantless worm-cases
with which these old shells and stones are generally
encrusted. Now these are exactly the habitats and
manners of the _Praniza Edwardii_ when adult. Where
I find the one, I am almost sure to find the other.
I have found them together, and taken them out of
the same worm-tube. But though this does not amount
to an entire proof, still it helps to strengthen my
conjecture that they are male and female.
“In the second place, besides the striking disparity
in size, the mandibles in this species appear to me
to differ considerably from the same organs in the
_Anceus maxillaris_. Here I have never seen them to
overlap each other as they do in the one just named.
And, having frequently kept them alive, I have seen
their mandibles open and shut times without number;
and, so far as I could make out, they never crossed
each other in the least. Indeed, I do not think they
could have done so, from their construction. They seem
to me, when they do shut, to go together in the fashion
of a rat-trap when closed. And besides several other
distinctions which I have been able to discern, there
are two or three small bunches of stiff hairs or spines
projecting from the front of the head which I do not
see in _Anceus maxillaris_ and the others which you
describe. I would also point out that there is a most
remarkable similarity in the tail or hind-part of this
species and the same portion of the _Praniza Edwardii_.”
In support of his views, Edward forwarded some further specimens of the
supposed male to Mr. Bate, for his inspection. We have not been able to
find Mr. Bate’s answer. It has doubtless been lost, like many of the
missing letters. But we gather from a future letter of Edward, that
Mr. Bate considered the specimens to be _Anceus rapax_. “Never having
seen a description or plate of that species,” said Edward, “I can say
nothing as to that matter. . . . But, call him what you like, I am more
than ever persuaded that he is the tight little husband of _Praniza
Edwardii_; and, as such, I now intend to place them together, and to
name them accordingly.”
[Sidenote: _THE CRUSTACEA._]
Many of the Crustacea which Edward collected, did not belong to the
Sessile-eyed order, which Mr. Bate was studying and classifying. These
Crustaceans he sent to other observers. For instance, when Mr. Bate was
about to set out for Paris to examine Milne-Edward’s typical Crustacea,
he received from Edward a letter containing some Entomostraca which had
been collected from the stomach of a mackerel. “I do not,” replied Mr.
Bate, “study the Entomostraceous Crustacea myself; so I gave some of
those you sent me to Mr. Lubbock, and some to Dr. Baird of the British
Museum, from both of whom I hope you will hear.”
[Sidenote: _SHORT SUN FISH PARASITES._]
In a future letter, Edward sent Mr. Bate some worm-like parasites found
on a Short Sun Fish taken near Banff. “The genus,” said Edward, “is
very little known in this country. It has hitherto been found only on
the Flying Fish. It seems, however, to frequent the Sun Fish. This was
not previously known. When once these creatures take a firm hold, it
is impossible to shake them off or get rid of them,—they sink so deep
into the animal’s body. There are from two to three longish barbs which
protrude from the neck, close to the head, and which appear to serve
exactly the same purpose as the barb does on the hook. One which I cut
out—and no easy matter it was—had its head sunk at least an inch and a
half into the fatty ridge of the fish. In the _Illustrated London News_
of July 10th, 1858, there is an illustration given of a Flying Fish
with a parasite attached to its back, and having a lot of barnacles
adhering to it. The fish here figured is said to have leapt from the
sea into the mizen chains of the East Indiaman _Monarch_, whilst on
her homeward voyage from Calcutta. The parasite in that case was quite
different from the one I obtained from the Sun Fish. It was there
called _Pennella Blanvillii_.”
[Sidenote: _THE MICROSCOPE._]
In one of his communications, Edward sent Mr. Bate some parasites which
he had taken from the gills of a Crab. Many of the Crustaceans found
by him were so minute that they could scarcely be examined in detail
with the naked eye. Mr. Bate accordingly, with great kindness, made
Edward a present of a microscope to enable him to carry on his minute
investigations. “It is,” said Mr. Bate, in his letter announcing the
departure of the parcel, “what we call a simple microscope, and I think
you will find it adapted for examining things out of or in doors. It is
made portable, and can be used upon the rocks as well as in a parlour.
It is similar to one which I use myself for everything, excepting when
I examine into structural anatomy. I was not able,” added Mr. Bate, “to
have it prepaid farther than Bristol; so I beg to enclose a few stamps,
which I hope will cover it for the remainder of the way.”
Edward at first found a difficulty in managing the microscope, on which
Mr. Bate sent him a long letter illustrated by diagrams, informing him
how he was to use it. “I am sure,” he said, “you are too sharp a fellow
not to understand it thoroughly after these few hints have been given
you. . . . I will also send you a pocket lens, which you will find very
useful. . . . You will find it convenient during this cold weather (24th
November) to bring home anything, and then look at it at your leisure,
rather than study it upon the sea-shore.”
[Sidenote: _A POSSIBLE SUB-CURATORSHIP._]
Mr. Bate must have been a thoroughly kind and good-hearted man. He may
possibly have heard something of the circumstances of Edward, and he
was now on the look-out for some higher vocation for the Naturalist
than that of “ladies’ shoemaker.” The Rev. George Gordon, also a
zoologist, who was in constant communication with Mr. Bate, may have
probably informed him of Edward’s ambition, which was, to be appointed
curator or sub-curator of some important museum. Hence Mr. Bate’s
letter to Edward. After informing him that Mr. Lubbock would shortly
ask him to make a collection of Crustacea, and advising him to send
certain fishes in proof spirit to the British Museum, he proceeded,—
“I have one thing more to say; but I write in ignorance of your
circumstances, and therefore, if I tread upon a _corn_, pray forgive
me. I have been asked if I can recommend a person to the College
of Surgeons, whose duty will be to attend upon the Curators and
Professors, and make preparations, and do other work in Natural
History. The salary is £1 : 10s. a week. If such a thing will suit
you, let me know, and I will write to propose you. If the place is not
filled up, I think it might be got.”
This letter raised a glimmer of hope in Edward’s breast. Was he really
to be rewarded at last for his efforts in Natural History, by an
appointment which would bring him into communication with scientific
men? It may be mentioned, that Edward had already been appointed
keeper of the Scientific Society’s museum at Banff, at a salary of £2
: 2s. per annum. This was of course merely a nominal remuneration,
and the occupation did not tend to feed Edward’s thirst for further
knowledge in Natural History. He was therefore most willing to accede
to Mr. Bate’s proposition; and he sent in his application, accompanied
by testimonials, to Professor Quekett of the Royal College of Surgeons.
[Sidenote: _EDWARD’S DISAPPOINTMENT._]
Unfortunately Mr. Bate had been misinformed as to the nature of the
proposed appointment. “I am fearful,” said Professor Quekett, in his
letter to Edward, “that some of your kind friends have misinformed
you as to the nature of the appointment which is vacant. It is only
that of fourth museum porter. The duties are: to keep the room clean,
dust bottles, etc., at the wage of a guinea a week. Now, from what I
learn of you through your testimonials, and from what I have heard of
your reputation and high standing as a Naturalist, I think such an
appointment is far beneath your notice.”
Edward’s hopes were once more blighted. Science could do nothing for
him, and he returned once more to his cobbler’s stool. He had become
accustomed to disappointment; nevertheless he continued to pursue his
work as a Naturalist. In fact, he went on working harder than before.
As Mr. Bate was only engaged with one branch of the Crustacea—the
Sessile-eyed,—and as other Naturalists were engaged in investigating
other branches of Marine Zoology, Edward was referred to these
gentlemen,—more particularly to the Rev. A. Merle Norman of Sedgefield,
Ferryhill, county of Durham; Mr. J. Gwyn Jeffreys of London; and Mr.
Joshua Alder of Newcastle-on-Tyne,—all of whom were great sea-dredgers.
[Sidenote: _ZOOLOGISTS._]
Zoologists usually take up some special subject and work it up. They
freely correspond with their fellow-zoologists in different parts
of the country with the object of obtaining their help,—which is
rarely or never withheld. There is a sort of freemasonry amongst
Naturalists in this respect. Thus, when Mr. J. Gwyn Jeffreys opened his
correspondence with Edward, he said, “No introduction can be necessary
from one Naturalist to another.” While artists and literary men form
themselves into cliques, and cut each other up in social circles and
in newspapers, Naturalists, on the contrary, seem to be above such
considerations of envy and uncharitableness.
[Sidenote: _REV. A. M. NORMAN._]
There is also a fellow-feeling amongst them, and they are ready to
help each other in various other ways. Thus, when Edward was informed
by Mr. Spence Bate that the Rev. Mr. Norman was working up the British
Entomostracous Crustacea, including the Fish Parasites, Edward
immediately began to scour the coast, and wade along the waves as the
tide came in, plunging into the rock-pools, in order to procure the
animals of which Mr. Norman was in search. He did this, regardless of
his health, and also regardless of his pocket.
A long correspondence had already taken place between Edward and Mr.
Norman; but, in the midst of it, Edward was again laid up by illness,
which lasted for about six weeks. The correspondence dropped for a
time; but it was afterwards renewed. Mr. Norman, in his letter of
May 12th, 1862, observed, “I have been absent from home ever since I
received your last note, or I should have answered it before. I am
extremely sorry to hear of the cause, your serious illness, which
prevented your answering my two last letters, and seemed to end a
correspondence from which I had derived so much pleasure,—finding in
yourself such a kindred, nature-loving spirit. I am rejoiced, however,
that God has mercifully raised you up again after so much suffering,
and that you are recovering the blessings of health and strength.
“Many thanks for the promise of your kind offices for me in procuring
Fish Parasites. Our knowledge of them is at present but limited, and
a large number of species new to our Fauna, may, I am satisfied, be
found, if properly looked after. I trust, therefore, that you may
extend your knowledge of the Crustacea of the Moray Firth to this
branch of the subject.”
It would occupy too much space to detail the contents of the letters
which Edward received from Mr. Norman and Mr. Spence Bate while their
respective works were in process of publication. But there are several
facts in them worthy of being noticed. There was one Crustacean about
which some difficulty had arisen. It was the _Mysis spinifera_, which
Edward had first found in the Moray Firth in the year 1858. He had
sent it to one of his correspondents, in order that he might give it
its name. But it remained unnoticed and unknown for a period of about
four years, when it was re-discovered in Sweden by M. Goes, who at once
published the fact. “Thus,” says Edward, “the first finder, as well as
the country in which this Crustacean was first found, have both been
ignored in the records of science.”
[Sidenote: _NEW SPECIES DISCOVERED._]
Edward discovered many new species, some of which had never been
met with before, and others which had not been met with in Britain.
Some were recognised and named, but others were not. “The number of
specimens I collected,” says Edward, “was immense. It must have been so
from the various methods I adopted to procure them, and from the fact
that I never lost a single opportunity of obtaining even but one object
when it could be got. Labour, time, cold, wet, privation, were nothing,
so that I could but secure the specimen that I sought for. . . . There
are still several new species which I discovered and sent to gentlemen
years ago. All I knew about them, from letters I received in return,
is that they were _new_; but whether they have ever received names, or
whether the discoveries have been made public, I do not know.”
[Sidenote: _THE VIBILIA BOREALIS._]
Mr. Spence Bate did every justice to Edward in the discoveries which
he made of _new species_, in connection with his branch of the
Sessile-eyed Crustacea. In one case, Edward caught only the anterior
moiety of a small Crustacean (_Protomedeia hirsutimana_), and yet Mr.
Bate includes it in his list, and gives a drawing of it. Mr. Bate also
did every justice to the accurate, description of the habits of the
species which Edward forwarded to him. For instance, Edward discovered
the _Vibilia borealis_, a new species, in the Moray Firth, on which Mr.
Spence Bate observes—
“Hitherto the species of this genus have been taken only as pelagic,
in tropical or sub-tropical latitudes. It is an interesting fact that
this species should have been taken off the coast of Banff, from whence
it was sent us by that very successful observer Mr. Edward, who, in
writing, says: ‘I can say little as to its habits. I took eleven,
and kept a few alive for a short time, but observed nothing in their
manners beyond that which may be seen in the majority of species. I
supplied them with plenty of sand, and also with a few marine plants,
but they neither seemed to be burrowers nor climbers, as they never
went into the one nor appeared to care for the other. They, however,
swam a little. This they do somewhat after the manner of _Callisoma
crenata_; in other words, they rise gradually from the bottom until
they reach the top; then, putting on more power, they swim round and
round the vessel. With close observation I observed that the superior
antennæ were kept pretty well up, and very widely apart, whereas the
inferior were always directed downwards. All the legs were kept doubled
up. I never saw them stretched out. They would then sink once more
to the sand at the bottom. There they would rest sometimes for a few
minutes, sometimes longer, when they would again repeat their voluntary
evolutions. They did not, however, always rise to the surface. The
journey was sometimes performed to about mid-water. They are, when
alive, a most beautiful coloured species, variegated not unlike
_Urothroë elegans_, and rivalling that animal in brightness of tints. I
took one, however, that was all over a most brilliant red. I have been
told that this species has never been found outside the Medusa. However
this may be, all mine were. And what appears to be most extraordinary
is, that we have had no Medusæ here this season.” Edward found another
species, new to Britain, _Themisto Crassicornis_, which exist in large
quantities in July, August, and September. Mr. Bate says, “Mr. Edward
informs us that he has seen specimens of these Crustaceans thrown on
shore in extraordinarily large quantities. After a storm one night he
saw them forming a band an inch and a half deep for thirty yards along
the beach.”[49]
[Sidenote: _EDWARD’S CLOSE OBSERVATION._]
Mr. Bate so much admired Edward’s enthusiasm in the cause of Natural
History, that he more than once urged him to publish his observations:
“I received from you,” he says, “a few days since, a parcel of
_Eurydice pulchra_, in sand, one of which only was alive. I have been
much interested in watching its active habits, and the manner in which
it buries itself in the sand. . . . I wish that you would write some
papers on the habits of these creatures. Keep a few at home under as
favourable conditions as possible. I am sure much is yet to be learnt
about them. I know no one better fitted to work out the subject than
yourself. For instance, get some of the _Podocerus capillatus_, and
find out how it spins the web that makes the nest; and closely watch
all their ways.”
[Sidenote: _EDWARD’S DIFFICULTIES._]
Edward might no doubt have written and published many papers in the
scientific journals. He might have gained praise, fame, and honour.
But what mattered these to him? The principal thing that he wanted
was time—time not only for his investigations, but to earn money for
the maintenance of his family. He had now a wife and eleven children
to support. He earned nothing by science: he earned everything by his
shoemaker’s awl. What could the _Podocerus capillatus_ do for his
family? Nothing whatever! His entire labours were gratuitous. Properly
speaking, Naturalists should be gentlemen of independent fortune. At
all events, they should have some profession to live by; whilst Edward
had nothing but his wretchedly-paid trade of shoemaking. The wonder
is, that, with all his illnesses, arising for the most part from the
results of exposure, he should have done so much, and continued his
self-sacrificing investigations so long. But he seems to have been
borne up throughout by his scientific enthusiasm, and by his invincible
determination.
[Illustration: NESTS OF NEST-BUILDING CRUSTACEA.]
[Sidenote: _NEST-BUILDING CRUSTACEA._]
The _Podocerus capillatus_, to which Mr. Bate repeatedly directed
Edward’s attention, is a very interesting Crustacean. It is about a
quarter of an inch long. It is beautifully variegated, and builds its
nests in a very bird-like manner in submarine forests. Edward found it
in the rock-pools off Banff, where it built its nests on _Corallina
officinalis_. The nest consists chiefly of a fine thread-like material
woven and interlaced. The form of the nest is somewhat oval, the
entrance being invariably at the top. “These nests,” says Mr. Bate,
“are evidently used as a place of refuge and security, in which the
parent protects and keeps her brood of young until they are old enough
to be independent of the mother’s care.” The accompanying illustration
is taken from Messrs. Bate and Westwood’s book. In this case, the nests
were built in Plumularia, off Polperro, Cornwall.
A few extracts from Mr. Norman’s and Mr. Bate’s letters will serve to
show the numerous new species which Edward continued to forward to
these eminent zoologists.
Mr. Norman (September 24, 1862) writes: “The Mysis I referred to
in my last letter is undescribed; and I propose to call it _Mysis
longicornis_. Might I be allowed to keep the specimen? I retain it at
any rate for the present, in order to draw up a description and figure.
[Sidenote: _NEW SPECIES FOUND._]
“I have made a most important discovery since I last wrote. On looking
again at the specimens (of the Parasites taken by Edward from the
Sun-fish) I find that I had confused two species together as _Læmargus
muricatus_, and had passed by as the male of that species (looking at
them only with the naked eye) a distinct species, which is _new_ to
Britain, and which I am at present unable to name.”
[Sidenote: _SHRIMPS AND PARASITES._]
Mr. Norman wrote again (January 3, 1863): “Thanks for the Hyperia,
which belongs to a different species to those you previously sent me.
At present I cannot name them. The Annelid—a very curious fellow—I
know nothing of. I will name the Sea-spider _Nymphon_. The treasure
of the bottle was, however, the little white shrimp. It is _new_ to
Britain, and possibly to science. We will call it, at any rate for
the present, _Thysanopoda ensifera_, New Species. The genus is a very
interesting one, and only one species, _Thysanopoda couchii_, was
previously known in our seas.”
A few days later Mr. Norman wrote to Edward: “I gladly accept your
suggestion that the Thysanopoda should be called _T. Batei_ (instead of
_ensifera_), and I am as glad as you are to pay the compliment to Mr.
Bate. . . . Your observations on the habits of the Thysanopoda are very
interesting.”
Edward evidently supplied his correspondent with abundant examples,
for, on the 27th of January 1863, Mr. Norman writes: “The parasite on
the fin is _Anchorella rugosa_—not a common species. I hope you will
procure more. The _Pagurus cuanensis_ bore on its back an example of
a highly interesting genus of parasitic Crustacea, _Peltogaster_. The
specimens do not belong to the species hitherto recognised in our seas;
perhaps they are still undescribed.”
Mr. Bate also wrote to Edward during the same month of January: “I
think that your last long-legged shrimp may be a new genus. If so,
I propose calling it _Polledactylos_. . . . There are other things of
much interest also. Do try what you can do in the way of collecting
specimens of the young of crabs, etc. Your species of _Stenothoë
clypeatus_ is new to Britain.”
[Sidenote: _MORE SPECIMENS WANTED._]
During the next few months Edward was in constant communication with
Mr. Bate and Mr. Norman, who named for him an immense number of
Crustacea. Many of them were new to Britain; some of them were new
to science. On March 6th Mr. Bate writes: “The little fellow was a
_Pettidium purpureum_. The long-legged Mysis are handsome chaps. The
second is, I think, _Œdiceros sasignatus_: if so, it is _the first_
taken in Britain.” Again, shortly after, Mr. Bate asks, “Do you
recollect a little fellow just like this? [giving a diagram]. I never
saw the like of it before. Where did you get it? Do get me more! Is it
a wood-borer? I am afraid that you will scold me when I tell you that
I have not yet examined the green bottle which you sent me previously.
I am just in the midst of describing a number of Crustacea put into my
hands, belonging to the Boundary Commission between America and British
Columbia. When I finish this work I will write to you again.”
A few days later Mr. Bate examines the green bottle, and writes
a letter to Edward, in which he gives him the names of seventeen
Crustacea which it contained. Mr. Bate was as voracious for further
discoveries, as Edward himself was. In a letter of 10th December 1863,
after giving an account of the various works on which he was engaged,
he says: “Now, because I am working hard in the path that you love so
well and labour so industriously in, and so adding to your own fame, do
not say that I don’t deserve the results of your researches.”
Fame! that “imagined life in the breath of others”! What could fame do
for poor Edward? What about his bread and cheese?
Curiously enough, the letter last mentioned did not at first reach
Edward. It was re-posted by Mr. Bate, with the observation, “This has
just come back to me as a returned letter, because Banff was unknown at
the Post-office.”
[Sidenote: _PUZZLING SHRIMPS._]
Mr. Norman also continued to furnish Edward with the names of his
various Crustacea, though he could not name some of them. For instance,
on the 13th May 1863, he wrote to Edward: “The shrimps you have sent
completely puzzle me. I must wait for a time until I can solve the
mystery. I believe that they all belong to one species, yet there are
three, if not four, distinct forms. The general characters are so
much the same, that I cannot think there are two species. . . . But
the curious thing is, that I have not yet seen a single specimen of
the species carrying eggs. I hope that you will yet find some, as it
will be most interesting to clear up not only the question of sex, but
also to find out the manner in which the eggs are carried. These forms
are amongst the most interesting things I have seen for a long time,
because it would almost seem as though we had a Crustacean with three
phases, just as the bee has—male, female, and worker.” After giving a
number of names, Mr. Norman proceeds: “And lastly, the parasite from
the Common Gurnard is a species _new_ to Britain.”
In his next letter Mr. Norman informs Edward that he is again going to
Shetland on a dredging expedition with his friend Mr. Jeffreys. They
are to go in a steamer, and “ought to do good work.” How Edward envied
them—going dry-footed, well fed, well-clad, and in a steamer,—while he
was working along shore, with no tools, but his hands and his bag-net.
[Sidenote: _ZOOLOGISTS IN ECSTASIES._]
Mr. Norman returned from Shetland in July, and immediately recommenced
his correspondence with Edward. “One of your shrimps,” he said, “is
_Caligus isonyx_, _new_ to our Fauna, and a very interesting one it
is. The male is as yet unknown. I hope you may succeed in meeting with
it.” Towards the end of the year Edward forwarded a number of species
new to Britain,—amongst others _Eurycercus hamellatus_ (obtained from
the stomach of the perch), _Chondracantha solex_, _Mysis mixta_, and
others. In one bottle of Crustaceans _three new species_ were found.
The zoologists were evidently in ecstasies. Mr. Norman exhibited
the results of his researches at the next meeting of the British
Association. In a letter, dated the 15th September 1863, he observed:
“I enclose a list of _fifteen_ Moray Firth Amphipoda, which you have
found, and which are unknown to me. If you now, or at any future time,
should be able to favour me with specimens of any of them, I shall be
extremely obliged.” The specimens were afterwards sent to Mr. Norman.
On the 6th of February 1864 Mr. Bate wrote to Edward: “You will be glad
to learn that your little specimen is _Opis Essichtii_, and that it has
not been found previously in Britain. I have reconsidered the little
Hyperia, and think that you are right; your remarks convince me that my
first opinion was the more correct. You will therefore call it _Hyperia
Medusarum_.”
[Sidenote: _THE SESSILE-EYED CRUSTACEA._]
Mr. Bate was then publishing in parts his work on _The Sessile-eyed
Crustacea_. He sent Edward the several parts as they appeared. About
the beginning of 1855 Mr. Bate says: “You will soon get a new part of
Crustacea, and then you will find that all my time and attention has
been occupied with the Isopods. So _do_ try and look out for some of
these, and leave the Amphipods alone for a little while.”
And again: “Please never apologise for writing to me about Natural
History. We have now been such long correspondents, that unless I
hear from you now and then, I begin to fancy myself forgotten. Your
letters always give me pleasure. The crustacean that you speak of is a
_Vibilia_, the _first_ taken in the British Islands. Please let me know
its habitat, and as much of its habits as you can.”
In the meantime Mr. Norman was appealing to him for specimens of the
Echinoderms, as he was about to prepare a paper on the subject. “I want
your aid,” he said; “I know you will kindly give it me. The _Urothoes_
are extremely difficult, and I want specimens from as many parts of the
coast as possible, of all varieties and sizes, and from all depths of
water. Will you collect for me some from your neighbourhood, from young
to the largest size of all you can meet with, keeping distinct those
from the shore and those from the deep water? It is important that
they should be well preserved. . . . Please get the specimens as soon as
possible, and send them to me by rail.”
[Sidenote: _EDWARD’S INDUSTRY._]
Edward obeyed the behests of his several correspondents. He searched
the rock pools, fished with his bag-net along the shore, and found
various new specimens, which he sent to his friends. But he could not
find the Echinodermata in deep water, for he had no means of reaching
them. He had no boat, no dredging apparatus. Perhaps his correspondents
forgot—perhaps they never knew—that he was a poor hard-working man,
labouring at his trade during the day, with only a few hours in the
early morning and a few hours at night, which he was able to employ in
their service.
Not only did he work for his correspondents so industriously, but he
also worked for others to whom they referred him. Thus Mr. Norman
desired him to send his Sponges to Mr. Bowerbank, and his Ascidians
to Mr. Alder of Newcastle, who were engaged in working up these
subjects. The investigators did not know—for none of them ever saw
him—that Edward had the greatest difficulty in earning money enough to
maintain his large family. Sometimes, in fact, he was on the brink of
starvation. And yet he worked for his naturalist friends as willingly
and as hardly, perhaps more hardly, than if he had been a gentleman of
independent fortune.
[Sidenote: _MR. BATE’S EULOGIUMS._]
When the _History of the Sessile-eyed Crustacea_ came out, the
assistance which had been rendered by Edward to Mr. Bate was fully and
generously acknowledged. Let any one look over the book, and he will
find of how much service Edward was to Mr. Bate while he was preparing
the work for publication. Mr. Bate frequently speaks of Edward as “our
valued, able, and close observer.” In addition to the references to
Edward already mentioned, we may subjoin the following. In speaking of
the _Lysianassa longicornus_, Mr. Bate says that it “has been forwarded
to him by that obliging and indefatigable naturalist, Mr. Edward of
Banff;” that his only specimen of _Anonyx obesus_ has been sent to him
by Mr. Edward; that the _Phoxus Holbelli_ has been sent to him from
Banff “by that indefatigable lover of nature, Mr. Edward;” that the
species of _Darwinia compressa_ was first taken by Mr. Edward at the
entrance to the Moray Firth; that the first species of the _Calliope
Ossiani_ had been received from Mr. Edward, “from which specimen the
original description in the catalogue in the British Museum has been
drawn up.” Mr. Bate also stated that he only knew of the genus Eurisus
through an imperfect specimen which had been taken by Mr. Edward in
the Moray Firth, “the first and only British representative of the
genus that we have seen.” So too with the genus Protomedia, of which
“only two specimens were collected at Banff by Mr. Edward.” A moiety
was obtained of the first species, which was called _Protomedia
hirsutimana_. In the second case, the entire Crustacean was obtained,
of which Mr. Bate made a drawing and description, and he named it
_Protomedia Whitei_, “in compliment to Mr. Adam White, author of a
popular history of the British Crustacea.” Only a single specimen of
the _Cratippus tenuipes_ was sent him by Mr. Edward, who knew nothing
of its habits. Mr. Bate also stated that he “had only seen three
specimens of the _Phoxus fusticaudatus_, which were discovered by his
valued correspondent, Mr. Edward of Banff, attached to the brachiæ of
the common Soldier Crab.”
[Sidenote: _EDWARD’S DISCOVERIES._]
Besides these discoveries, Edward found an immense variety of
Crustaceans of other orders in the Moray Firth, which had never been
found before. Some of these were new to Britain, some of them new
to science. But we will not bewilder the reader by introducing the
jaw-breaking names of the newly-discovered Crustaceans. We have thought
it right, however, to mention a few of those introduced in Messrs.
Bate and Westwood’s _History of the Sessile-eyed Crustacea_, for the
purpose of confirming the statements which we have made as to the
indefatigable enthusiasm of Edward in the pursuit of Natural History.
It must also be mentioned that the Sessile-eyed Crustacea constitute
only a single order, and that on the one side of them there are the
Stalk-eyed Crustacea and on the other the Entomostraceous Crustacea.
[Sidenote: _THE FLOATING MEDUSA._]
There is one point, however, that must be referred to before we
conclude this heavy chapter. The impression prevailed at one time that
the Hyperiidæ were parasites of the Medusa or Jelly Fish. In 1862 Mr.
Bate acknowledged the receipt of a Crustacean, which he denominated
_Hyperia medusarum_. He said, “If I am correct, this is the first
time that I have known it as British.” In a subsequent letter (23d
December 1863), Mr. Bate said, “It is an interesting circumstance that
you should have found the Hyperia and Lestrigonus free on the shore;
inasmuch as they have previously only been known as inhabitants of the
floating Medusa. I wish you would direct your attention further to the
subject. . . . Hunt and be successful.”
The Rev. Mr. Norman also communicated with Edward about the same
time, and informed him “that the Atylus is not a parasitical species,
though there _are_ some Crustacea (Hyperia) which are parasitical upon
Medusa.”
[Sidenote: _NEW CRUSTACEA FOUND._]
Upon further investigation, Edward came to the conclusion that the
Hyperia is no more the parasite of the Medusa, because it is sometimes
found upon it,—than a crow is the parasite of a tree because it
sometimes lights upon it. As Edward’s name was now frequently quoted
in matters of Zoology, he thought that it might be of some use to give
the results of his observations to the world on the subject. Hence the
appearance of his “Stray Notes on some of the Smaller Crustaceans,”
which shortly after appeared in the Journal of the Linnean Society.[50]
It is probable that the facts in that paper, as stated by Edward, had
some influence on the minds of Professor Westwood and Mr. Spence Bate;
as _Hyperia medusarum_ does not appear in their list of Sessile-eyed
Crustacea, the last part of which was published at the end of 1868.
To give an idea of the indefatigable industry of Edward in his
researches among the Crustaceans, it may be mentioned, that of 294
found in the Moray Firth, not fewer than _twenty-six new species_ were
added by Edward himself!
FOOTNOTES:
[47] _Annals of Natural History_, vol. ii.
[48] _History of the British Sessile-eyed Crustacea_, ii. 201.
[49] _History of the British Sessile-eyed Crustacea._ By C. Spence Bate
and J. O. Westwood. Vol. ii. pp. 525-6.
[50] Linnean Society’s Journal (_Zoology_), vol. ix. pp. 143-7.