A NATUBALIST. 79 



NO. VII. 



On the first arrival of the crabs, when they throng the 

 shoals of the creeks in vast crowds, as heretofore men- 

 tioned, a very summary way of taking them is resorted 

 to by the country people, and for a purpose that few would 

 suspect without having witnessed it. They use a three 

 pronged fork or gig made for this sport, attached to a 

 long handle ; the crabber standing up in the skiff, pushes 

 it along until he is over a large collection of crabs, and 

 then strikes his spear among them. By this several are 

 transfixed at once and lifted into the boat, and the opera- 

 tion is repeated until enough have been taken. The pur- 

 pose to which they are to be applied is to feed the hogs, 

 which very soon learn to collect in waiting upon the 

 beach when the crab spearing is going on. Although 

 these bristly gentry appear to devour almost all sorts of 

 food with great relish, it seemed to me that they regard- 

 ed the crabs as a most luxurious banquet ; and it was 

 truly amusing to see the grunters, when the crabs were 

 . thrown on shore for them, and were scampering off in 

 various directions, seizing them in spite of their threat- 

 ening claws, holding them down with one foot, and 



