348 NATURALIST'S CABINET. 



The red-clawed, pea, and common crabs. 



in shallow water; the legs are small in proportion 

 to the body ; the two claws are remarkably large 

 and flat. The whole shell is covered over with 

 Innumerable little tubercles like shagreen ; the 

 color is brown, variously stained with purple. 



The red-clawed crab is of a small size and 

 brown color; it has two claws of unequal big- 

 ness, red at the ends, and eight legs, which seem 

 of less use to them than in other crabs, for when 

 on the ground they crawl -with a slow pace, 

 dragging their bodies along ; but they are most- 

 ly seen grasping with their claws, and hanging 

 to some sea plant, or other marine substance. 



The pea crab has a round, smooth thorax, en- 

 tire and blunt; its tail is of the size of the body, 

 which commonly is the bulk of a pea. It inha- 

 bits the muscle, and has unjustly acquired the re- 

 pute of being poisonous. The swelling after 

 eating of muscles is wholly constitutional ; for 

 one that is affected by it, hundreds remain un- 

 injured. Crabs either of this kind, or allied to 

 them, the ancients believed to have been the 

 consentaneous inmates of the pinna, and other 

 bivalves, which being too stupid to perceive the 

 approach of their prey, were warned of it by 

 their vigilant friend. 



The common crab has three notches on the 

 front; five serrated teeth on each side; the claws 

 elevated; the next joint toothed; the hind feet 

 tubulated ^ the color a dirty green, but red 



