82 THE COMMON PEA-CRAB. 



and saw it glue itself, as usual,, to the glass; but, 

 singular to state, the creature always left a larger space 

 between its foot and the circumference of the shell on 

 the side at which the crab was seated, than on the 

 opposite one, seemingly from a wish to accommodate 

 its crustaceous friend. This space, moreover, let me 

 observe, was larger than was absolutely necessary, 

 for, as the shell was not air-tight, I was enabled to 

 thrust my camel-hair pencil teazingly upon the crab, 

 and was much amused to watch him clutch at the 

 intruding object, and, at times, move about with it 

 in his grasp, thus proving that he was by no means 

 uncomfortably ' cabin'd, cribb'd, conftn'd/ 



For a whole week the crab remained in his favo- 

 rite lodgings, and only resigned occupancy thereof 

 when his friend gave up the shell and died. 



There is a certain species of crab, Pinnotheres 

 pisum, or common Pea- Crab, frequently found in 

 Mytilus eduliSj the Oyster, and the Common Cockle. 

 Indeed, one gentleman states, that on his examining, 

 on two occasions, a large number of specimens of the 

 Cardium edule, he found that nine out of every ten 

 cockles contained a crab. Still, in no other instance 

 than the one my own experience furnishes, have I 

 ever heard of the Shore-Crab, or, indeed, of any other 

 crustacean, becoming the guest of Patella. 



The classical reader will not fail to remember 

 Pliny's statement (somewhat analogous to that above 

 narrated) of a small crab, Pinnotheres veterum, 



