CRABS. 



for themselves. The accompanying inustration repre- 

 sents a portion of one of these pavements discovered at 

 Cirencester in the year 1783.'" 



A great deal of this esteem, it is to be feared, some- 

 what resembled the great affection professed by a 

 chief of the Feejee Islands, for a very good-looliing 

 little midshipman of one of Her Majesty's ships cruising 

 among those fertile but questionable retreats. " I love 

 him very much," said the dusky potentate, " because 

 he is so plump, and would make such a delicious roast 

 with palm-top stuffing." Apicius loved Crab because 

 he was good in many ways. Hear Avhat he says of 

 Crab sausages : " Boil some of these animals, reduce 

 them to a pulp ; mix with this some spikenard, garum, 

 pepper, and eggs ; give to this the ordinary shape of 

 sausages, place them on a stove or gridiron ; and you 

 will by this means obtain a delicate and tempting 

 dish." He also informs us that a Crab may be served 

 whole, boiled, and accompanied by a seasoning of 

 pepper, cummin, and rue, which the cook skilfully 

 mixes with garum, honey, oil, and vinegar. Later on 

 in history we find our friend Cancer depicted in heraldic 

 devices, and among the armorial bearings of many 

 influential families. So we see that his lineage is an 

 ancient one. The family to which he belongs is ex- 



A Roman oyster-knife was found buried not far from the 

 site of one of these ancient villas, 



b2 



