CRABS AND LOBSTERS. 149 



each of the latter is equal to that of his carapace ; they are 

 enormous. And yet, if he had the sense to keep still when the 

 stone is overturned, you would probably fail to see him ; he 

 sits so tightly, and presses the cleaner side of him to the stone. 

 But he has that fatal crabbittess, the desire to fight, and whilst 

 he is sidling off somewhere, he thinks he may as well give you 

 a nip, and he puts up one of his massive-looking pincers, and 

 grips your finger with spirit. With your other hand you grip 

 the offending pincer, and say, "Aha! my friend, you've caught 

 a Tartar this time ; let go ! " He does, but instead of loosing 

 his hold on your finger, he just touches a spring or some other 

 mechanism, and separates his claw from his body without any 

 compunction whatever, whilst his other claws and his body go 

 sliddering off beneath the stone again. 



If you catch your Broad-claw young, you will find that his 

 upper surfaces are of a ruddy-brown tint, with hair to match, 

 but when he has got this well filled up with filth, he might pass 

 for a daub of mud. Hold him over on his back, if you can, 

 and you will understand why he is called Porcelain-crab. He 

 is smooth and comparatively clean beneath, and his under 

 surface is of a creamy-white colour. 



Broad-claw has an equally odd-looking relative, the Minute 

 Porcelain Crab (Porcellana longicornis] , which really belongs 

 to deeper waters than our researches at present extend to, but 

 one or two can usually be found under, or among, the stones 

 at extreme low tide. Its colour is red, and its carapace 

 comes very near to being circular. It has not that depressed 

 appearance that makes you pity platycheles for having to 

 support such heavy stones upon his back; in truth, the 

 circularity of the carapace, its convexity, and the fact that it 

 has some depth as well as breadth, makes it appear almost 

 rotund. Its larger pincer-claw is almost three times the length 

 of the carapace ; the other about one-third less, and not nearly 

 so thick. They are both rugged in character, and convex, 

 the larger being slightly keeled on top, and the lesser strongly 



