KING CRABS. 



tremely hard spine, furnished with jagged edges, and a point so 

 sharp that, in the hands of savages, it forms a weapon of most 

 formidable character. The king crab has no distinct head, but 

 its body is covered with a broad thin shell, somewhat resembling 

 in its shape the hoof of a horse hence they have obtained the 

 name of" Horse-foots" from the inhabitants of the coasts where 

 they are found. On turning over this singular creature, we find 

 that it possesses six pairs of well-formed feet, the thighs or basal 

 joints of which, armed with teeth and spines, serve the extra- 

 ordinary purpose of jaws, being used to masticate the food and 

 force it into the mouth, which is situated between them. Behind 



Fie,, i;;. -R:.\G CRAB. 



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 over- 

 lap 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 consists 

 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 



