LIFE HISTORY OF THE BLUE CRAB. 403 



ocean over a beach 400 feet wide. They had been imprisoned in the 

 shallow water and were forced b)^ cold weather to make the excui»sion 

 to deeper places. 



During the molting- periods the crab will always hide itself, if pos- 

 sible, under some subniero-ed timber, rock, or bunch of grass. Here 

 it will remain quietly until after its shell has been shed and the new 

 shell has hardened. 



The color of the crab is more or less variable, and it is l>elicved by the 

 fishermen that the animal is able to change its hue slightly to approxi- 

 mate the color of its surroundings. Light grayish-green individuals 

 are said to be taken on sandy bottoms, while the dark olive-green are 

 said to be found among the grass. This theory, however, is not very 

 well 'borne out by crabs held in captivity in the live boxes, for there 

 thej retain their original colors, and even after they have cast their 

 shells exhibit quite as much variety as before. 



FOOD. 



The blue crab's food is of a varied character, but the animal is preemi- 

 nently a scavenger and a cannibal. In the shallow waters of ponds 

 and small tidal streams it preys to a certain extent upon small fish, 

 which it stalks with some cunning and seizes by a quick movement of 

 its large claws. In such situations, too, I have sometimes observed it 

 nibbling at the tender shoots of eel grass or other aquatic vegetation, 

 or picking at the deca.yed wood of some sunken log. Its favorite food, 

 however, is the flesh of some dead and putrid animal, to obtain which 

 it will travel a considerable distance from its hiding place. A piece 

 of stale meat or a rotten fish will attract the crabs for several yards 

 around and they will swarm over the morsel until it is entire!}^ 

 devoured. The offal from stables and water-closets which project over 

 the water furnishes the crabs with many a meal and in such spots num- 

 bers of the animals may be observed lying in wait for food. 



Wherever crabs are abundant they constitute a source of great 

 annoyance to fishermen, for they are adepts at stealing bait from the 

 hooks and will return time and again after having been drawn to the 

 surface of the water and apparently frightened away. 



An injured crab, if thrown into the water, will be speedily set upon 

 by its associates and torn to pieces. Even one that is uninjured, if 

 small or in the soft-shelled condition, is likel}^ to be captured and 

 eaten by stronger individuals. 



In eating a bit of food the crab first grasps it'in the large claws and 

 pushes it back under the front of the shell, where it is seized between 

 the tips of the second pair of legs and pushed forwai'd and upward to 

 a point where it can pass between the third maxillipeds to the jaws. 

 These strong organs masticate the food while the other mouth-parts 

 prevent the escape of the smaller particles. It is then swallowed and 



