ANECDOTE OF THE SHORE-CRAB. 71 



his exuvium, and had become nearly double his original 

 size. His increased bulk made him rather unfit for my 

 small ocean in miniature, and gave him, as it were, a 

 loblolliboy appearance. Besides, he was always full of 

 mischief, and exhibited such pawkiness, that I often 

 wished he w T ere back again to his sea-side home. 

 Whenever I dropped in a meal for my Blennies, he 

 would wait until I had retired, and then rush out, 

 disperse the fishes, and appropriate the booty to him- 

 self. If at all possible, he would catch one of my 

 finny pets in his arms, and speedily devour it. 

 Several times he succeeded in so doing ; and fearing 

 that the whole pack would speedily disappear, un- 

 less stringent measures for their preservation were 

 adopted, I determined to eject the offender. After 

 considerable trouble, his crabship was captured, and 

 transferred to a capacious glass. 



The new lodging, though not so large as the one 

 to which for so long a time he had been accustomed, 

 was nevertheless clean, neat, and well-aired. At its 

 base stood a fine piece of polished granite, to serve 

 as a chair of state, beneath which was spread a carpet 

 of rich green ulva. The water was clear as crystal ; 

 in fact, the accommodation, as a whole, was unex- 

 ceptionable. The part of host I played myself, 

 permitting no one to usurp my prerogative. But in 

 spite of this, the crab from the first was extremely 

 dissatisfied and unhappy with the change, and for 

 hours together, day after day, he would make frantic 



