34 



MAIADJE. 



The presence of this oyster affords interesting evidence that 

 the Hyas lived several years after attaining its full growth. 

 Both crahs and oysters, though dead, were brought to Mr. 

 Hyndman in a fresh state. The hairs on the body and 

 legs of specimens in my collection are longer in the small 

 than in the large individual. On the north-east coast of 

 Ireland, the H. araneus is very much preyed on by the 

 codfish. 



" In January 1840, I saw specimens of this Crab of very 

 large size on the coast near Edinburgh ; the carapace of 

 one which I measured was three inches in length, and the 

 extent from the extremities of the first pair of legs eleven 

 inches." 



Mr. Hailstone states that this Crab spawns in February : 

 this, however, cannot be universally the case, as I took 

 several females at Sandgate early in May, in the year 

 1843, every one of which was carrying her load of spawn, 

 which is of a rich deep orange colour. 



