MOULT OF TIIE LOBSTER. 257 
its appendages, perfectly resembles the living animal. The 
process is curious enough to deserve a few lines of description. 
When towards autumn, the time of casting the shell ap- 
proaches, the lobster retires to a silent nook, like a pious hermit 
to his cell, and fasts several days. The shell thus detaches 
itself gradually from the emaciated body, and a new and tender 
cuticle forms underneath. The old dress seems now, however, 
to plague the lobster very much, to judge by the efforts he 
makes to sever all remaining connection with it. Soon the 
harness splits right through the back, like the cleft bark of a 
tree, or a ripe seed-husk, and opens a wide gate to liberty. 
After much tugging and wriggling, the legs, tail, and claws 
gradually follow the body. The claws give the lobster most 
trouble; but he is well aware that perseverance generally wins 
the day, and never ceases till the elastic mass, which can be 
drawn out like india-rubber, and instantly resumes its ordinary 
shape, has been forced through the narrow passage. It can 
easily be supposed that, after such a violent struggle for freedom, 
the lobster is not a little exhausted. Feeling his weakness, and 
the very insufficient protection afforded him by his soft covering, 
he bashfully retires from all society until his hardened case 
allows him to mix again with his friends on terms of equality, 
for he well knows how inclined they are to bite and devour a 
softer brother. 
The facility with which the crustacea cast off their legs, and 
even their heavy claws, when they have been wounded in one 
of these organs or alarmed at thunder, is most remarkable 
Without the least appearance of pain, they then continue to run 
along upon their remaining legs. After some time a new limb 
grows out of the old stump, but never attains the size of the 
original limb. 
At the beginning of the chapter I have already Sn 
described the wonderful transformations of the barnacles, 
acorn-shells, and lernee, but the changes which the young 
crabs, lobsters, prawns, and shrimps, have to undergo ere they 
assume their perfect form are no less astonishing. Thus in the 
earliest state of the small edible crab (Carcinus menas) we 
find a creature with a preposterously large helmet-shaped head, 
ending behind in a long spine, and furnished in front with two 
monstrous sessile eyes like the windows of a lantern. By means 
