DISTRIBUTION OF THE STONE CRAB. 773 



The Stone Crab is raucb stouter and heavier than the Blue Crab, of more solid build, and 

 with a much thicker shell-covering both on the body and claws. There is, moreover, no similarity 

 between the two species. The carapax of adult individuals measures about three inches in length 

 by about four and a half inches in width, and the body is from one and a half to two inches thick. 

 The large claws, when folded against the front of the body, measure about seven inches from 

 elbow to elbow. One claw is somewhat larger than the other. 



Prof. Lewis R. Gibbes has kindly furnished the following notes on the habits of this species 

 as observed in the vicinity of Charleston, South Carolina : 



"They live in holes in the mud along the borders of the creeks and estuaries of the coast, 

 and are taken by the hand, thrust down several inches, sometimes fifteen to twenty, to reach the 

 inhabitant at the bottom, at the risk of a severe bite from one or both of its claws. They can 

 also be found in the crevices between fragments of any solid material, occurring near their haunts, 

 such as rejected stone ballast, fragments of brick thrown out as waste from houses or other 

 structures in the city or vicinity. Again, they occur in similar situations along the breakwater, 

 constructed some forty years ago to protect a part of the front beach of Sullivan's Island, at the 

 mouth of the harbor, from the destructive action of the waves. They offer a stout resistance to 

 being dragged from their chosen retreat, by firmly pressing their powerful claws against the walls 

 of their abode. From their holes in the mud they are drawn with some difficulty, with a quantity 

 of the mud adhering to them ; and if the walls of their retreat are solid, and cannot be removed 

 from around them, they cling to them with such tenacity that not nnfrequently they are brought 

 out piecemeal, first one claw, then the other, and finally the body." 



Professor Gibbes further states that the Stone Crabs are highly esteemed as food, and preferred 

 to the Blue Crab, as the meat of their large claws is more lobster-like in texture and flavor. 

 From the difficulty of capturing them, however, they are much less common in the markets than 

 the Blue Crab, and command a higher price. They are also apparently less abundant. Like the 

 Blue Crab, they are constant dwellers upon our coast, and could doubtless be taken at all times 

 during the year. Soft-shelled specimens are seldom if ever brought to market. 



In the Gulf of Mexico, according to Mr. Silas Stearns, the Stone Crab is not so universally 

 common as the Blue Crab, although it is found along the entire coast. It seems to be most 

 abundant on the southern and western coasts of Florida where the bottom, being more rocky than 

 elsewhere, is best suited to its habits. In this section it lives in cavities in the rocks, and in deep 

 holes which it excavates in the sand. It attains a larger size than the Blue Crab, measuring in 

 adult species one or two inches more across the carapax than the latter species. The people 

 living upon the coast where the Stone Crab is so abundant and so large esteem it highly, and 

 regard it as an important food supply. Owing to the persistent way in which it keeps on the 

 bottom, and in its hiding places, it cannot be captured as easily as the other species. The most 

 common method of capture is, after finding its hole or place of retreat, to run the hand and arm 

 down quickly and drag it out. To one unversed in this practice it seems a dangerous operation, 

 but it is not so. The crab lies in its hole with its claws uppermost or outermost, and considering 

 its well-known slowness and clumsiness of action, a man's strong grip finds no difficulty in 

 controlling them. In other parts of the Gulf, away from the Florida coast, visited by Mr. Stearns, 

 he did not find the Stone Crabs nearly so abundant. They were mostly confined to oyster beds 

 and stone heaps, and were inferior in size to the Florida specimens. 



As the Stone Crabs generally live more or less buried beneath the bottom, their movements 

 are probably less affected by tides and changes of temperature than the Blue Crabs. They have 

 never appeared for sale in the markets of any of the larger cities and towns of the Gulf coast, on 



