ny IHE ANNALS AND MAGAZINE OF NATURAL HISTORY [SECOND SERIES.] No. 23. NOVEMBER 1849. XXXI. — Notice of the occurrence on the British coast of a BurTOwing Barnacle belonging to a new Order of the Class Cirripedia. By Albany Hancock,, Esq.* [With two Plates.] I HAVE recently procured a very curious little animal belonging to the class Cirripedia, interesting not only on account of its modification of form, but also from its habit of burying itself in the substance of dead shells. The first individuals obtained were concealed in a broken specimen of Fusus antiquus procured by the Bev. G. C. Abbes from the fishing boats at Whitburn in the county of Durham, and fortunately preserved on account of the fine specimens of Cliona gorgonioides which it contained. Since then I have got this Cirripede alive from the boats at Cul-lercoats, also in Fusus antiquus : it has likewise occurred in Buc-cinum undatum from the same locality. And on breaking an old specimen of the former, which has been many years in my col-lection, it was found to have been extensively attacked by this novel parasite. Indeed almost every dead specimen of the large Fusus brought in by the fishermen from deep water is more or less affected by it ; and the only wonder is that it should have remained so long undetected. This perhaps may be explained by the fact that this animal only attacks dead shells^ and always, as far as I have yet observed, from the inside, so that it is scarcely to be seen until the shell is broken. The columella is the chief seat of the ravages of this creature, though the sides of the whorls do not by any means escape, especially if the indi-viduals are numerous. When quite young they enter the sound shell, and as they grow enlarge their residence, which is always of the exact size and form of the tenant. It is interesting to remark how completely this animal, toge-* Read at the Meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science held at Birmingham, Sept. 12, 1849. Ann. ^ Mag. N. Hist. Ser. 2. Vol. iv. 21
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