538 



CRUSTACEA. 



The Spider Crab, Maia Squinado (Linn. ), is the representative of another 

 family. (See Fig. 11.) It is a large oval crab sometimes measuring 8 inches 

 in length and 6 inches in breadth. It is covered and margined with strong 

 sharp spines, two of which project in. front. -It is an active sea- scavenger, 

 and most of our readers will remember the amusing account in ' ' Glaucus " of 

 " Maia Squinado, Esq.,' J sitting at the bottom of the boat, twiddling his feelers. 

 It creeps, but does not swim. The young form of the larva is represented on an 

 earlier page (Fig. 1.) There are a great many other crabs, both British and 

 foreign, differing very much in size, shape, and habits. Some are smooth, others 

 rough, spiny, or hairy. Some are round, others oval. Many small crabs and 

 some larger ones are common running over the sand, or among seaweed, or 

 in rock-pools between tide-marks ; others, like the large Edible Crab, Gainer 

 pagurus (Linn.), are inhabitants of deep water, and some are good swimmers. 

 Among foreign crabs we may mention the genus Pinnotheres (Latr.), which 

 lives in pairs, in large shells, such as Pinna, from which they derive their name. 



The land-crabs of tropical coun- 

 tries are large crabs which live 

 almost entirely on land. They 

 burrow in the ground, and are 

 able to run with extraordin- 

 ary swiftness. One genus, with 

 very large claws, has been called 

 Gelasimus (laughable) from the 

 ridiculous appearance which it 

 presents when chasing along 

 brandishing its great claws, only 

 one of which is fully developed, 

 over its body. 



One of the largest known 

 Crustacea in expanse is Macro- 

 cheira Kampferi (De Haan), a 

 Japanese crab, not very re- 

 motely allied to the Spider 

 Crabs, which has a compact, slightly oval body rather less than a foot long, 

 but with enormously long, though comparatively slender legs, four or five 

 feet in length. Two fine specimens may be seen in the public Insect Room 

 at the Natural History Museum, South Kensington, where Crustacea are 

 exhibited as well as Insects. 



Fig 12. GREAT JAPANESE CRAB. 



(Macrocheira Kampferi). 



SUB-CLASS III. GIGANTOSTRACA. 

 ORDER XIPHOSURA. KING-CRABS. 



IN the king-crabs, Limulus (Miiller), the upper part of the body is covered by 

 two great horny shields, the first covering the cephalothorax and curved 

 backwards at a sharp angle oh each side, and the second smaller, covering 

 the abdomen, and set with several strong, sharp projections on the sides, 



