CRABS. 9 



an immense number of families along the sea-board 

 of England and its home dependencies, but forms an 

 admirable school for the training of the hardy mariners 

 so much needed for both our navy and mercantile 

 marine. The professional crabber is usually an expert 

 boatman, and line, or rather hook- fLsliei, in addition to 

 his crab-catching powers. There are several methods 

 by which Crabs can be taken, but that usually re- 

 sorted to for the capture of the kind now under con- 

 sideration is by crab jKjts, or baskets, woven of 



unbarked willows.* These are contrived much on 

 the principles of the common wire mousetrap, a num- 

 ber of points being arranged in funnel form at the 

 entrance, so as to admit of free incrress, but renderino- 

 exit quite a different affair, and one by no means 



* Galvanized iron wire has been much advocated as a material 

 for their constiniction. 



