LOBSTERS. 105 



The coral reefs fringing the island of Mauritius afford 

 shelter to members of the family of Palinurus, which 

 in both size and splendour of colouring far excel those 

 taken in our seas. Some we had an opportunity of 

 examining when freshly caught, by the fishermen of that 

 fertile isle, looked so much like works of art that we 

 could almost fancy Pallisey, that king of potters, must 

 have returned to life, and that these were some of his 

 choicest productions. Some w^ere of delicate sea-gTeen 

 banded with white and ultra-marine blue, alternately. 

 Others were striped with pale yellow^, black, and green, 

 whilst all were so highly glazed, and carried such a 

 brilliant polish, that w^e dee^^ly regretted the perishable 

 nature of living things, and sighed as we reflected on 

 the waste of so much loveliness on the more than half- 

 heathen crew of Malabar coolies who grinned and chat- 

 tered round the captives, and who had no appreciation 

 whatever for crustacean perfection, except in association 

 with rice and a brass cooking-pot. 



