200 LIFE BY THE SEASHORE. 



defence, bold in attack, swift in flight, and ingenious in 

 artifice, not many of the arts of war remain unknown to 

 them. Together with the next family, which has but few 

 representatives on our shores, they represent the highest 

 point to which the Crustacea have attained. The high 

 specialisation is seen in many of their structural peculiarities, 

 some of which we have already discussed. 



The first member of the family to be considered is the 

 edible crab, the crab of the fisher-folk, Cancer pagurus of 

 science (see Fig. 8, p. 26). This familiar crab is abundant 

 in all the European seas, inhabiting all depths of water up 

 to about twenty-five fathoms. It is the object of an im- 

 portant fishery, especially in England, where it is more 

 relished than on the Continent. Though always caught on 

 a large scale in crab-pots in the deep water off rocks, 

 specimens of considerable size are nevertheless to be found 

 on the rocks themselves, and are there caught by the fisher 

 children. When exposed by the turning over of the 

 stones under which they lurk, they have a peculiar 

 habit of tucking in the legs under the broad and flattened 

 carapace, so as to offer only its strong surface to the 

 intruder. 



The special characters are as follows. The carapace is very 

 broad and only slightly arched, the forehead narrow with 

 three short similar teeth, the long antero-lateral margin is 

 nine-lobed, while the shorter postero-lateral margin is entire 

 and marked by a marginal line. In the great forceps the 

 movable part is black, and furnished on its inner side with 

 blunt rounded projections. The walking legs are all similar, 

 the last ending like the others in a thin pointed claw. Eor 

 these points see the figure. 



The next form is the shore crab (Carcinus mcenas), to 

 which allusion has already frequently been made. It is 

 abundant everywhere in shallow water, occurs in many 

 colour varieties, and is extraordinarily hardy and successful. 

 A charming pet, it will live long in captivity, even under 

 unfavourable conditions, so long as it is allowed an oppor- 

 tunity of occasionally quitting the water in which it is 

 living, and is well fed. 



As to structure, the following points are worth notice. 

 The carapace is broader than it is long, well arched, with 



