70 Part second. 



or both claws, and they are in great danger until the new covering has 

 hardened sufficiently; so that they instinctively seek a place of retreat 

 during this operation. Uninjured specimens which have just shed their 

 skin, look very handsome in their new and bright apparel. 



Of the habits of the Lobster which can be observed in the Aqua- 

 rium, we would only mention that of digging holes and ditches in the 

 mud, partly for hiding-places and partly for burying food; also its 

 suspicious behaviour towards its companions, with which it often engages 

 in deadly combat, trying the gigantic strength of its claws with only too 

 much success. The invalids with shortened feelers and broken claws, 

 sometimes seen in the tanks, are unfortunate individuals wounded in 

 battle or during the period of moulting. The real home of the Lobster 

 is on the coasts of Northern Europe, where its capture forms an im- 

 portant part of the fishing industry. It is caught in creels or "pots", 

 into which it is enticed at night by baits of meat; these it relishes 

 greatly, whether they be fresh or putrefying. In the Mediterranean Lob- 

 sters are more rare, and therefore more expensive. 



In the next tank (Nr. 7) the reader will find a near ally of the 

 Lobster, the Spiny-lobster or Craw-fish, Palinurus vulgaris (Fig. 48), 

 often mistaken for the true Lobster. But a mere glance shews the 

 difference between them; the absence of great pinching claws, the spiny 

 shell and the enormous antennae immediately strike the eye of even the 

 casual observer, and further comparison will reveal a host of less obvious 

 differences. In their habits both animals agree, but the Spiny-lobster is 

 more sociable and more lively ; it likes to climb the rocky sides of the 

 tank, which it does with great agility, and it feeds on shell-fish, which 

 it cleverly opens with the strong claws of its first pair of legs. It is 

 much more common in the Mediterranean than the Lobster, and is caught 

 on all the rocky coasts of the Bay of Naples. It lives for a conside- 

 rable time in captivity. 



An allied form is the Flat-lobster, Scyllarus latus (Fig. 47), a clumsy 

 animal which spends the greater part of its life in some crevice of the 

 rock. Its broad back is generally covered with mud and brown algae, 

 and is often mistaken for a stone. It uses its front pair of feelers, 

 shaped like two broad shovels, as weapons of defence ; and whilst feed- 

 ing it covers its food with them. In tank Nr. 23 the Lesser Flat- 

 lobster, Scyllarus arctus, is often to be found; a more brilliantly co- 

 loured and livelier fellow. 



Of the smaller long-tailed forms we would mention the Shrimps and 

 Prawns, such as Crangon and Palaemon (Fig. 147), remarkable for their 

 lively jumping. They inhabit all the rocky coasts in large numbers, 

 and are the staple food of many animals: in the tanks Nr. 20 and 23 

 of the Aquarium they are largely used for feeding purposes. Their 

 movements when walking or swimming are easy and graceful, and they 

 are so sensitive that they feel the least disturbance of the water and 

 respond to it by tremendous leaps. 



Two rare Shrimps, not always present in the Aquarium are Steno- 

 pus (Fig. 133), and Penaeus (Fig. 132). The latter is exceedingly pala- 

 table, and, as it has a very thin skin, would be very valuable as an 



