A Goodly Company of Crabs 



Or was the attraction merely that of the appe- 

 tising food which those friends were enjoying? 



An interesting haul was one day made by the 

 Challenger while crossing the Bay of Biscay ; 

 not indeed from a great depth, since the Bay 

 is in no part very profound, but from the sea- 

 bed. More than five thousand small sharp- 

 clawed crabs came up in company ; and they 

 took . quite kindly to the new conditions of life 

 on board. They cheerfully explored the whole 

 vessel, turning up in every direction, during the 

 next few days. 



Something in the nature of a love for home 

 has been shown by crabs, at least in one instance. 

 Many years ago a singular story to this effect 

 was told in a scientific paper. * 



The fishermen of Falmouth, capturing crabs 

 off the rocks at Lizard Point, brought them by 

 boat to Falmouth Harbour, and kept them there 

 till needed, in a box sunk under water, some four 

 miles out. Each crab had been branded on the 

 back with its owner's mark. 



By accident one of these boxes was broken ; 

 and all the prisoners made good their escape. 

 Naturally, no one expected to see them again. 



But only two or three days later those very 



* Nature, April 3rd, 1873. 

 223 



