CRABS. 281 



inevitable. A townsman, Who had been following the 

 same fishery with an iron hook at the end of a stick, 

 fortunately came in sight ; and by introducing that, and 

 detaching the other pincer of the crab, which is one of 

 the common means of making it let go its hold, he re- 

 stored the official personage to land and life. 



There is not a great deal known of the habits of those 

 curious creatures, further than that they are exceedingly 

 voracious, and that as they are betrayed into traps by 

 garbage, they must be possessed of some sense of smell ; 

 but it is generally understood that they have desperate 

 feuds at the bottom of the sea ; and that many of those 

 mutilations, with which they are found, are obtained in 

 the field of battle. Against such casualties they are 

 much better provided than nobler animals who are sub- 

 jected to the same loppings in their encounters ; for the 

 lost member is restored, at least, at the annual change 

 of the shell ; and probably also when not undergoing 

 that change. That animals, which are in common lan- 

 guage termed imperfect, should have this power of re- 

 producing mutilated parts, and that it should be want- 

 ing in those which are usually considered perfect, ought 

 to be a caution to us how we decide as to the different 

 degrees of perfection in the works of Him, who " in 

 wisdom made them all." 



One of the fish whose history and habits have been 

 very much misrepresented, is 



THE HERRING. 



OF the herring genus there are three species, the 

 common herring, (clupeaharengus^) the pilchard, (clupea 

 2 B 3 ' 



