MOULTING OF LOBSTERS. 263 



broken, though occasionally a limb is accidentally 

 separated in the operation. The greatest difficulty 

 seems to be in drawing the large anterior claws 

 through the comparatively very small dimensions of 

 the same limbs where they join the body, as, contrary 

 to what has been stated in books, these large claws 

 are not split open to allow of the emergence of the 

 limbs. The claws are soft, however, and are tempo- 

 rarily rendered shapeless by being pulled through 

 these little orifices. After the great limbs are free, 

 the rest is more easy, and by a series of spasmodic 

 efforts the remainder of the legs are extricated, to- 

 gether with the antennae, great and small, and the 

 whole of the complex organs surrounding the mouth, 

 and even the eyes and the breathing organs are with- 

 drawn from their old coverings, and while this goes 

 on, the tail is released. All proceeds simultaneously, 

 so that while one part of the process is being watched, 

 another is effected unobserved. When everything is 

 at last free, the lobster lies as if dead, and occasionally 

 does die from exhaustion, but generally it slowly 

 turns over on its legs, which, being soft, cannot sup- 

 port the body, however ; but by remaining quiet, the 

 creature gains strength, hardness, and courage, and 

 the first use it makes of its returning vigour is to 

 thrust the old covering outside of its den, or else bury 

 it. But when a cast-off suit of armour can be secured 

 whole, it is about one-fourth less than the size of the 

 lobster which came out of it, and one can hardly 



