SIPHONOSTOMATA. 227 



serve the extraordinary purpose of jaws, being used 

 to masticate the food and force it into the mouth 

 which is situated between them. Behind these are 

 several other pairs of legs of very different structure ; 

 they are leaf-like and perform the office of gills, 

 each carrying on its outer edge a series of thin 

 plates somewhat resembling the leaves of a book, and 

 thus affording a considerable respiratory surface. The 

 first pair of these gill-feet are very large, and overlap 

 all the others so as to protect and conceal them. The 

 King-Crabs frequently come ashore, traversing the 

 flat sandy beaches, and look like self-moving shields, 

 none of the limbs being visible. They endure with 

 difficulty the heat of the sun, and when stranded, 

 often bury themselves for shelter. Their food con- 

 sists of animal substances. Some are of very large 

 size, occasionally measuring upwards of two feet in 

 length. The savages of the Moluccas are in the 

 habit of employing the caudal spikes as heads for 

 their spears and points for their arrows. These 

 animals are so common on the coasts of the West 

 Indies and of the American Continent, south of New 

 York, that, being slow in their movements and easily 

 capsized by the waves, their dead bodies sometimes 

 cover the shore to such an extent that a person 

 might walk on them for ten miles without ever 

 touching the ground. The hogs are regularly driven 

 to the beach to feed on them, and their bodies are 

 carted into the country to be used as manure. In 

 China their eggs are used as an article of food. 



EIGHTH ORDER. 

 SUCKING-MOUTHED CRUSTACEANS (Siplwnostomata)* 



The Suctorial Crustaceans have the mouth adapted 

 for sucking the juices that they obtain from the 

 bodies of other animals ; they are, therefore, essentially 



v, siphon, a sucking-pipe ; ar^ua, stoma, a mouth. 



