42 MAIAD.E. 



It is eaten by the poorer classes, though I understand it 

 is but indifferent food. Like all the other triangular Crus- 

 tacea, the fishermen inveterately term it " spider ;" and 

 they appear to have very little idea of any affinity between 

 these forms, and the Crabs properly so called. I remem- 

 ber some years since seeing in one of the back streets of 

 Poole, near the water-side, a little girl standing by a small 

 table, on which was a plate containing two of these Crabs, 

 of moderate size, cooked and for sale. On my accosting 

 her with " Pray do they eat these crabs here ?" She re- 

 plied with a look of great surprise at my ignorance, " They 

 ben't crabs, sir, them's spiders !" 



Mr. Richard Couch informs me that in Cornwall several 

 dozens of "the Corwich" are sold for sixpence, but that 

 they are more frequently given away to those who ask 

 for them. Mr. Couch adds, that he never saw a soft one, 

 or one soon after casting its shell, although they are often 

 taken "^<?g/," or ready to cast it. This, doubtless, arises 

 from the extreme secrecy of their retreats when undergoing 

 this process. 



The following account, for which I am indebted to the 

 gentleman just mentioned, is very interesting, and it affords 

 another opportunity of confirming the true metamorphosis 

 of the decapodous Crustacea. " This is the most abundant 

 of all the Crabs found on our coast, but it does not make 

 its appearance so early in the season as the Common Crab, 

 the Lobster, or indeed any other ; it is rarely found earlier 

 than May, but from that time till the end of the fishery 

 in August or September, these Crabs make their appear- 

 ance in vast numbers, to the great vexation of the fisher- 

 men ; for it is found that from the time these begin to 

 enter the pots, the more valuable kinds considerably de- 

 crease in number ; and this is supposed to arise from their 



