THE SHORES OF BRITAIN. 99 



of its clutches. But, 'tide waits for no man,' even 

 though his thumb should be in a Crab's claw ; and so 

 the flood returned, until the greater part of the arm 

 was in water, and the ripple even beginning to 

 mount to the top of the rock, which, as the tides 

 were high at that particular time, was speedily to 

 be at least a fathom under water ; and destruction 

 seemed inevitable. A townsman who had been fol- 

 lowing the same fishery with an iron hook at the end 

 of a stick, fortunately came in sight; and by intro- 

 ducing that, and detaching the other pincer of the 

 Crab, which is one of the common means of making 

 it let go its hold, he restored the official personage 

 to land and life."* 



The fisherman, however, prefers another mode of 

 taking Crabs, than by seeking them in their rocky 

 retreats. He uses pots made of wicker-work, with 

 an opening in the top, made by the ends of the rods, 

 bent inwards, and converging towards a point ; their 

 elasticity allowing a Crab to enter readily enough, 

 but causing them to spring back to their first posi- 

 tion when he is in, presenting only their converged 

 points when he wishes to escape ; the entrance being 

 in the top of the pot, moreover, he cannot well get 

 at it when once inside. Some decaying animal mat- 

 ter is put in by way of bait, which is an unfailing 

 temptation to the Crab's palate, and the pot is sunk 

 in deep water by means of a heavy stone. A line 

 attached to a float on the surface of the water, marks 

 the situation of each pot, and prevents mistakes as to 

 property. 



* Brit. Naturalist, i. 279. 



