118 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM. 
fish them twice a day or at low water. ‘They drive out to the 
bowls in their wagons and load the crabs and fish directly. The 
crabs are then hauled to the beach, where, opposite each pound 
and up on the high dry bank, a large pen is erected. ‘This is fre- 
quently of various construction, and while usually made of wire 
like that in the pounds is frequently built up of boards or rails, etc. 
The size of the pen is usually in accordance with the expected 
catch, and as this is estimated fairly well, it varies. The 
largest pen, which was really divided, contained altogether about 
300,000 crabs. Others of all sizes ranging down to as low as 
25,000 were noted. Some pens when not large enough are fre- 
quently added to. We saw several which were filled to overflow- 
ing and had bursted, leaving great masses of the animals all 
about their sides. ‘They are frequently emptied and then filled 
again. By the method in vogue in fishing the pound, and con- 
tinually adding crabs, there are always a number of live individ- 
uals in the pens. ‘They, of course, are those forming the surface 
layer. ‘The crabs live about two or three days, and as the pens 
are high and dry here and there those which had attempted to 
escape were always found dead or dying in the hot dry sand. 
They always appear to be more restless in the pens at the flood 
tide, when they produce much more commotion than at other 
times. ‘The king crab appears to be able to determine the time of 
high-tide even when far removed from the water, as they are then 
very restless. So far as I could determine the sexes appear equally 
abundant. ‘The pens when full of crabs always produce a stench, 
though this is not so foul unless at close quarters or in the wind. 
The decomposition of animal matter thus going on conduces to 
myriads of maggots and insects swarming about. These are fre- 
quently and greedily devoured by most common birds, such as red 
winged blackbirds, grackles, flickers, crows, ete. It is also said 
that the birds feed their young with them, and that their nests 
have a correspondingly unsavory odor. Many birds were seen flit- 
ting about the pens and feeding. As the owners of the pens and 
pounds count the individuals of their catch as they store it up, 
they have a fairly accurate knowledge of the respective contents 
of the pens. At the end of the season the crabs are removed and 
loaded in boats, and then shipped up the river to the fertilizing 
