102 With Fish-Lines and Nets 



over the flats which extend for a mile or more 

 into the bay from the narrow sand strip which 

 separates us from the ocean, one can catch crabs 

 by the dozen if quick with the net and not too 

 afraid of falling overboard. The favorite habitat 

 of the beast, however, is the channels which 

 skirt the shore, especially where the offal from 

 boarding-houses or hotels is thrown into the 

 water. It is counted poor sport when an after- 

 noon's crabbing does not produce thirty or 

 forty crabs. On calm days, the boys often 

 catch their basketful by watching the water 

 along the sides of the docks; the crabs swim 

 on the surface in search of the shrimps and 

 minnows that hide in the grass and sea-weeds 

 that grow upon the spiles. 



The money value of the crab, even here, 

 where they can be caught by wholesale, is suffi- 

 cient to cause many of the fishermen to make 

 a business of "shedding " them in confinement. 

 Fair hard-shell crabs are worth, even upon the 

 dock here, thirty cents a dozen, while for 

 "shedders" or soft-shells, a dollar a dozen is 

 not considered exorbitant. This high price of 

 soft-shell crabs has resulted in a regular busi- 



