BREYDON GULLS AND BREYDON CRABS 191 



wherein I stood observing them through a window. They 

 sat with bills pointing downwards, closely watching the 

 shore-crabs dodging in and out among the Zostera, and 

 dipping at them with a queer duck-like plunge as they came 

 within striking distance. The gulls could not dive owing to 

 their buoyancy, but would plunge head first down (sometimes 

 rising quite a foot or more from the water to gain a greater 

 impetus), pushing with their feet as they made this half- 

 circular movement. It was very funny to see how flustered 

 a gull would become when, clutching submerged grass as well 

 as crab, he became temporarily anchored, and had to let go 

 in order to regain his breath. As soon as a crab was brought 

 to the surface it was crushed and immediately swallowed." 



THE SHORE-CRAB 



Most interesting little fellows are the common shore-crabs, 

 and distinguished though they be by the epithet of green, 

 they exhibit extremes in colouration from grass-green to 

 vivid blue, and yellowish grey to a decided red ; but for their 

 similarity in shape one might be forgiven for not knowing 

 on sight that an emerald-carapaced " sea-sammy " and one of 

 a brick-red hue are in reality blood relations. 



Ugly and spider-like as the casual observer may pronounce 

 the shore-crab, with, as one writer remarks, " a cruel, cold, 

 triangular, inhuman face, with eyes set wide apart, with cruel 

 hairy mandibles and chinless face, the whole expression 

 being one of brutal lust, without one ray of light to illumine 

 the dreadful countenance," it is bold, active, cunning, 

 pugnacious ; and half swimming, half crawling, shuffles and 

 scrambles about in search of food, not refusing the vilest 

 carrion, and pulling down and devouring with equal relish 

 any living creature that superior strength or strategy can 

 waylay and master. Such victims are torn and eaten piece- 

 meal, with a greed and evident enjoyment that borders on 

 the ghastly ! 



But ghoul though it be, its very rapacity entitles it at least 

 to our toleration, if not respect, for its mission seems to be 

 the appropriation and destruction of the carrion which, if it 

 were not for the crabs, would become more loathsome still. 

 But it is no favourite of the fisherman and angler, whose nets 

 it inconveniences by its struggles amongst the meshes, or 



