in this way : Once in every year, and, of the same species, 

 at the same time in every year, the crab or lobster, or cray- 

 fish or shrimp, instinctively retires to some lonely hole in 

 the rocks, and mopes until a crack in the shell occurs across 

 it, precisely where the carapace or back ends, and the tail 

 begins. So soon as this happens the animal begins to drag 

 its whole self out of the shell. In from half an hour to an 

 hour it has drawn the flesh of its great claws out of their 

 shells through the little wrists, and has even drawn its eyes 

 out of their protecting cases or pedestals, and has cleared 

 itself of its old shell altogether, and it lies beside it a 

 perfect crab, or whatever else may be its shape, but quite 

 soft and shell-less, and apparently exhausted. The empty 

 shell also retains its perfect shape ; but a comparison of the 

 two shows you at once how the growth takes place. The 

 real crab is sizes larger than its late shell, and in about a 

 week a new shell has hardened over it, and this process is 

 repeated yearly, as I have said, until a period of age comes 

 at which it apparently ceases, and the creature grows no 

 more. We judge this because we find that our very largest 

 specimens are always covered with corallines of very slow 

 growth. 



Probably most of you consider of a crab or lobster as 

 you see it on a fishmonger's stall, a squat thing with its 

 legs sprawled out. But they are very different when alive 

 and in the sea. Then those long legs are in their proper 

 position, and the shell-fish walks on them daintily, with its 

 long antennae or feelers out in constant motion searching 

 for its food. The lobster is a foul feeder, and prefers its 

 food in a state of putridity, or at all events, not fresh ; but 

 the crab will touch nothing that is not fresh. Any of you 

 acquainted with the working of aquariums may be able to 

 correct me in this statement ; but I make it from my 



