70 Part second. 



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 su- 

 spicious 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, were its capture forms an important 

 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 Lobsters are more rare. 



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

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

 mistaken for the true Lobster. But a mere glance shows 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 dif- 

 ferences. 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 considerable 

 time in captivity. 



An allied kind 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 

 algse 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 coloured and 

 livelier fellow. 



Of the smaller long-tailed kinds 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 ol many animals: in the tanks Nr. 20 and 23 of 

 the Aquarium they are largely used for feeding purposes. Their move- 

 ments when walking or svimming 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 StenopUS 

 (Fig. 133), and Penaeus (Fig. 132). The latter is exceedingly palatable, 

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

 food, if it were only a little more common. In the Bay of Gaeta it is 

 largely caught under the name of mazzacuogno . 



We now turn to a curious group intermediate between the long- 

 tailed Lobsters and Shrimps, and the short -tailed Crabs. These are the 

 Hermit-Crabs (Figs. 163-165). 



