WATERS OF WESTERN INDIA. 91 



invariably carry their tail tucked between their legs ; nor is it of 

 any great use to them, except that the females carry their eggs be- 

 tween it and the body. They are extremely numerous and various in 

 our seas and fresh waters. Racing crabs (oeypoda) are not common 

 in extra-tropical countries. The Irish, indeed, have a proverb, "Ye 

 may be a racer, but ye don't look like it ; as the Devil said to the 

 crab/' which indicates a want of acquaintance with this group. For 

 the ocypods not only are racers, but do look like it. Another family, 

 the Gelasimi, "calling," or " laughing crabs," may be described as 

 large claws with small crabs growing at one end of them. They are 

 numerous wherever a mixture of sand or gravel with mud exists be- 

 tween tide-marks; and in such places you will often see from afar 

 the bank covered with as it were white pebbles, which suddenly dis- 

 appear as you approach. These are the claws, which are mostly 

 white, with more or less red, black, or blue ; and they have retired 

 into their burrows. 



Some small burrowing crabs cover many miles of the sands with 

 the "spoil " (engineers call it) from their burrows, made up into neat 

 little pellets, and removed from the holes in a fashion that looks like 

 bead-work, arranged in a pretty vine-leaf jDattern. Others only make 

 a rough spoil heap near theburrow, and the work of both is easily 

 mistaken for that of worms. 



Then there are spider-crabs, and "peacock-crabs" {mJwr pakhi), 

 so called from their coloration, with three ocelli like those on a 

 peacock's tail. There are many native names for them, " kenkad" is 

 a general one " Dhaiv-more" (running-crabs) are the ocypoda and 

 gcelasimi ; ° Saiva-more " are queer grey crabs with feathery legs 

 found in the creeks, but not common. " Chimbore" are another estu- 

 arine species, and " Mute "are land-crabs. The giant of the Crusta- 

 ceans, Birgus latro, the cocoanut-crab, is not found here ; and indeed 

 I must confess that all our crabs are wauting in size as compared with 

 those of northern seas. I have some Europe crab-shells in which I get 

 the Indian crab baked ; and have arrived at an equation as regards 

 our largest eatable species here, viz., that they are to the British 

 crab exactly as a tailor to a man. They have their seasons, and are 

 not always wholesome ; but the natives can generally be trusted 

 to report upon that.* 



* Note. — The Land Crabs (Gecarcini) are said to be unwholesome in the hot 

 weather, and other species at the change of the shell. I do not know whether the 

 famous soft-shelled crab of the United States is a separate permanently soft species 

 or not. It is certainly by no rnpars poisonons. 



