WILD SPORT IN BRITTANY. 175 



various reasons, occupy an important office in this Marine Obser- 

 vatory. In the first place, the hermit crabs not only clear away 

 the uneaten food of other fish, but, when death visits the tanks, 

 the bodies of the defunct, no matter of what genus or size, are 

 reduced in an incredibly short time to perfect skeletons : a nest of 

 ants never did the polishing work more effectually. M. Coste, in 

 pointing out this valuable service, by which all taint is removed 

 from the water, brought to my recollection the quaint language of 

 my old henchman and friend, Will Patey, who, whenever a hound 

 proved utterly useless for work, invariably thus suggested his 

 doom : " He must go a-crabbing, sir, he must ! " If sentence of 

 death followed, in a tide or two the animal was reduced by a 

 swarm of small crabs to so clean a skeleton that it might have 

 been sent forthwith to the Hunterian Museum. 



Between the common crab and the lobster M. Coste described 

 a singular difference in the habits of the male fish ; the lobster is 

 a grand Turk in his way ; roving, like a Lothario, from one attrac- 

 tion to another, and rebounding, tail forwards, five or six feet at a 

 time, when meeting a rebuff from a coy mistress ; then gradually 

 sidling up to her again with the hope of winning his fair prize. 

 The crab, on the other hand, exhibits the virtue of conjugal fidelity 

 to the highest degree, and is true as a dove to the single object of 

 his affection ; clinging round her with all his arms, swimming 

 about with her, and, if severed by force, seizing her again with 

 the most devoted attachment ; a pattern husband beyond all 

 suspicion. 



The metamorphosis, never dreamt of by Ovid, which these 

 crustaceans undergo, have furnished most interesting matter for 

 observation ; and beautiful indeed is the appearance of the lobster 

 on first escaping from his crusty prison ; he is then dressed like a 

 court beau, and seems quite conscious of the striking effect of his 

 " purple and golden suit." The power of reproducing a limb in 

 case of injury is common to all the tribe ; and as casualties, of 



