86 MASTICATORY ORGANS OF CRABS. 



the whole of the preceding ones. In the Macroura 

 the pedipalps are very different in their forms, and 

 have the aspect of very simple feet. 



'The means of comminuting the food are not re- 

 stricted to the complicated machinery above referred 

 to, for the stomach itself contains a very remarkable 

 apparatus, consisting of several hard calcareous pieces, 

 which may be termed gastric teeth. They are attached 

 to horny or calcareous levers, fixed in the parietes of 

 the stomach ; they are moved by a complicated 

 system of muscles, and are admirably adapted to 

 complete the thorough breaking- down of the aliment, 

 which had already been to a considerable extent 

 affected by the buccal appendages. These gastric 

 teeth may be readily seen and examined in the larger 

 species of Decapoda, as in the large eatable crab and 

 the lobster ; and it will be readily perceived how 

 perfectly the different pieces are made to act upon 

 each other, and to grind the food interposed between 

 them.' 



Having been on a certain day at the sea-side col- 

 lecting, I was amused to observe the movements of 

 two ragged little urchins, who approached near to 

 where I stood, bottle in hand, examining some 

 beautiful zoophytes by aid of a pocket lens. One 

 of them had a short iron rod, with which he very 

 dexterously hooked out any unfortunate crab who 

 happened to have taken up its quarters in some 

 crevice or beneath a boulder. Having captured a 



