1895. 



PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 371 



Chocolate Bay, near Port Lavaca, I found in deserted stone-crab holes 

 four soft crabs, GalUnectes sapidus, — one female in her second year, one 

 male in his second year, one male in his third year, and one male in his 

 fourth year, or full grown. I also found four aged crabs, too feeble to 

 run or nip. They had sought a quiet nook, protected by rushes and 

 salt grass, and were patiently awaiting dissolution. I attribute the 

 late shedding to our late fall. We had had no frost, and wading was 

 very pleasant. 



The third week of September, 1895, I spent cruising in Matagorda 

 and adjacent bays, and had another chance to observe the habits of 

 these crabs. There is a cove, terminating in a small bayou, on the 

 north side of Sand Point, Calhoun County; this point separates Mata- 

 gorda and Port Lavaca bays. The weather was easterly and the cove 

 protected. Around it we stretched a seine and caught about 200 adult 

 male crabs, 22 of which had in their possession a female; 19 of these 

 females were verging on maturity; 2 were shed for the last time (that 

 is, full grown), but still soft, one of them being held upside down, and 

 one female was full grown, her new shell about three days old. Twenty- 

 oue of these couples were interlocked in the same manner — that is, the 

 male had his front leg on either side passed from the rear around the 

 puddle and legs of the female, bringing her well in front of him, and 

 held so tightly that many of them were lifted from the water and put 

 into the boat without loosing their hold. None released his companion 

 until roughly handled. One was holding on to the sides of the seine 

 with the rear feet and to his companion with his front feet, and was eat- 

 ing a small fish which was still alive. He held on to both fish and crab 

 until placed in the skift". In all the crabs observed — not far from 1,000 — 

 the only full-grown females were the three above described, of which 

 two were yet soft and the third had shed very recently. 



Notes by Benjamin Harrison. — On both the east and west coasts of 

 Florida, CalUnectes sapidus is quite common; nor is it confined to salt 

 water. On the St. Johns River, it is found more than 100 miles from 

 the sea. I have seen many specimens in Lake George, 125 miles from 

 Jacksonville. On the west shore of Lake George a salt spring runs 

 through a deep creek into the lake. Here the common crab swarms. 

 Where the creek empties into the lake there is a wide expanse of shal- 

 low water with clean white sand. Here the crabs come out at night in 

 great numbers to feed, and I have frequently seen them seize small fish 

 and collect about the refuse from our camp. Evidently they have no 

 distaste for the fresh water of the lake. 



Both on the east and west coasts they like quiet, shallow waters, and 

 prefer sandy bottoms. They bury themselves in the sand to escape 

 observation, and will do this as soon as they find speed ineffective when 

 l)ursued. During the spring months they are much more " in evidence," 

 l)ecause then they seek the waters near the shore warmed by the sun. 

 While maring they are much less voracious than at other times. After 



