ii6 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM. 



each year. The eggs and milt are placed in hollows, the animals 

 while in copula remaining more or less completely buried in the 

 sand. Then only the back of the bull may be seen.- The male 

 mounts from, the back, and it is thus very common to^ find them 

 paired, though frequently more than one male is found attached 

 to a single female. As many as four males have been found at- 

 tached to a single female. When so many are found together, 

 they may be attached in various positions, though the male which 

 is attached over the tail usually always remains fastened firmly, 

 so that it is possible to throw them together into the boat. The 

 other males mostly drop off more readily when disturbed. When 

 the crabs retreat or move away, the eggs become covered with 

 sand. I have found that they spawn in late May and early 

 summer, and by some it is claimed they spawn throughout the 

 summer. The eggs are small, very numerous, have great vitality, 

 are of a livid white color, and difficult to distinguish from the 

 sand. They hang together in an adhesive mass, though they are 

 not viscous, being easily rubbed apart. The young animal looks 

 very much like a young trilobite, and swims very easily. They 

 rotate very rapidly in the eg-g when disturbed. The spine, it is 

 said, does not appear until after the first moult, when the animal 

 begins to resemble the adult. The king crab prefers such condi- 

 tions as are offered in Delaware Bay, where there are muddy or 

 sandy bottoms, and it is seldom or unusual to find them along the 

 ocean beach. They also prefer more or less tranquil water 

 where there is little or nO' surf. They burrow in these places 

 just under the sand or mud, and there find an abundance of 

 food in the many small animals, and are said to feed principally 

 on worms. Although a creature without any means of offense 

 tO' mOiSt animals, such as fishes, they are amply protected from 

 most enemies by their hard covering. The strong spine is used 

 to right themselves when overturned. They progress through 

 the sand by crawling, and when burying themselves are assisted 

 by means of the hinged back, and also the spine. They are good 

 swimmers, though may frequently be seen crawling about over 

 the bottom. When in shoal water they may easily be discovered 

 by means of two rows of small bubbles constantly appearing at 

 the surface of the water. The sexes differ very much in size. 



