NOTES ON CRUSTACEANS. / 



since witches were believed in, and antidotes administered. I remember 

 perfectly well hearing a Captain of Horse-guards tell a story, which would 

 now be hardly credible. He was, (now many years since,) quartered, some- 

 where in the midland counties, upon a blacksmith, who had a sickly son, 

 the said son's weakliness being commonly ascribed to the evil influence of a 

 poor old woman in the village, who had the misfortune to be particularly 

 old, ugly, and cross-grained — a not uncommon combination, the last being 

 almost a natural sequitiur upon the two former. This subject was discussed in 

 the gallant captain's presence, but he could scarcely believe that the matter 

 was treated seriously; but the sequel shewed that it was only too much so. 

 For every evil there is said to be a cure, and in this instance it was considered 

 that the infallible antidote would be that some member of the family should 

 dra%o blood of the witch 1 but how was this to be accomplished without 

 the intervention of actual assault and battery? Some ingenious person at 

 last hit upon a device, which, alas! for the poor old crone, was but too 

 successful. She was invited to tea, in the most (apparently) amicable 

 manner, and accommodated with a rush-bottomed chair, where she had 

 hardly "got comfortable," when a youthful scion of the blacksmith race 

 being introduced surreptitiously beneath, with no other weapon than a cob- 

 bler's awl, surprised the poor old lady's leg in the most unceremonious 

 manner; the requisite antidote was, as may be imagined, quickly produced, 

 and need I add, the hitherto sickly youth grew up a healthy man; but 

 this last was the blacksmith's version of the matter, when he and the 

 captain accidentally met in after years, and he related to him the above 

 episode, which is so far incomplete that I cannot say whether the poor old 

 woman obtained redress for her injury, or was punished for a witch upon 

 such evidence — the more likely conclusion. If we believe such a thing as 

 this, and I have no reason whatever to doubt that it took place, how can 

 we doubt that a bird, known better by hearsay than by personal know- 

 ledge, having its movements involved in obscurity, and being capable of 

 uttering so wonderful a sound for its size, should be invested with more 



than ordinary qualities. 



(To be continued.) 



NOTES ON CRUSTACEANS. 



BY G. HODOE, ESQ. 



On reading "Notes on Crustaceans," by W, in the October number of 

 •'The Naturalist," it brought to mind numerous instances in which I had 

 found Crabs with parasitic growths upon them, those that have come 

 under my notice being Hyas coarctatus, a species unusually plentiful on 

 this coast, amongst the rocks towards low-water mark. They are deci- 



