BRACK YURI. 163 



The Cancer mcenas comprises a voracious, fierce, and coutentious 

 race, involved in perpetual warfare, whereof many mutilations of those 

 escaping with life are borne as undoubted evidence of peril. Hence, 

 among miscellaneous collections, are found specimens variously im- 

 paired ; and if the whole are confined in the same vessel, those incessant 

 conflicts, tending to universal extermination, after farther aggravations, 

 will leave one only as the victor. 



Entire genera would disappeai-, did not the energies of Nature heal 

 their otherwise deadly wounds. 



Amidst such energies, some are alwa3's directed to the restoration 

 of perfection ; whence, although the precursor be itself defective, its 

 successor is perfect, as will be discovered on exuviation. But it must 

 be observed, that all subjects are liable to accidental imperfections of 

 parts, or in dimensions. 



A specimen, which was defective of the right claw, having cast its 

 shell, it came in with the wanting claw now perfect ; but this new organ 

 was somewhat smaller than its fellow. — Plate XXXVII. figs. 3, 4. On 

 another exuviation, the claws came in nearly equal. 



A specimen, Plate XXXVII. fig. 5, which had been mutilated of 

 four Umbs, and half the forceps of the left claw, cast this shell on Oc- 

 tober 8, and came in entire with the whole complement of limbs, to- 

 gether with the wanting piucer, now white. — Fig. G. 



A small specimen having been left somewhat incautiouslj' in the 

 vessel of one rather larger and stronger, was mutilated of the right 

 claw and three limbs of the same side, and of a limb on the left side. 

 Notwdthstanding this extraordinary privation, it cast its shell, the ncAV 

 animal, to my surprise, coming in with all the limbs in perfection. 

 —Plate XXXVII. fig. 7, cast shell, back ; fig. 8, breast ; fig. 9, new 

 perfect animal. 



As is well known, low papilla? rising from the remaining stump an- 

 nounce regeneration in fleshy reproductions. This is a fact so familiar, 

 and I may say of such uniform occurrence, that, without adverting to 

 the circumstances, I conjectured that papilla? were actually rising here, 

 from the rudiments of the defective organs. But let us remember that 



