S7o THE STRAWBERRY CRAB. 



with powerful forceps at their extremities, and covered thickly with such a multitude 

 of knots, spikes, and protuberances, that they really seem as if they were subject to 

 disease and had thrown out a crop of unhealthy growths. The hinder limbs are com- 

 paratively small, but yet are strongly made, and armed with a whole array of thorny 

 spines, so that, what with the claws and what with the spines, the creature is a truly 

 formidable being, and one that may not be grasped with impunity by a careless hand. 

 This species inhabits some of the hotter parts of the world, and the individual from 

 which the sketch was taken was procured from the Mauritius. It may here be men- 

 tioned that the illustrations of the Crustacea have been taken from actual specimens, 

 and that the originals may in almost every instance be found in the British Museum. 



SPINE-ARMED LAMBRUS.-Lamftrus splalmaaus. 



STRAWBERRY CRAB.-Eur/aome Msperm. 



THE little STRAWBERRY-CRAB is very appropriately named, as its color is of a pleas- 

 ing red, and its surface studded with numerous tubercles, so as to bear some resem- 

 blance to the fruit whence it derives its popular name. It is a British species, and is 

 generally found in deep water, so that the dredge is the instrument usually employed 

 in its capture. 



Mr. Gosse, who kept some of these pretty little crabs in a living state, makes the 

 following observations on their habits : " The Strawberry-crab is a climber. If it were 

 a terrestrial animal, I should say its habits were arboreal. True, it now and then 

 wanders over the bottom of its abode, with slow and painful march, the hind feet 

 held up at an angle above the level of the back, but generally it seeks an elevated 

 position. We usually see it in the morning perched on the summit of some one 

 of the more bushy weeds in the aquarium, as the Chondrus, or Phyllopora 

 rubens, where it has taken its station during the night, the season of its chief 

 activity as of most other Crustacea. It interested us much to see it climb : seizing 

 the twigs above it, by stretching out its long arms alternately, it dragged up 

 its body from branch . to branch, mounting to the top of the plant deliberately, 

 but with great ease. While watching it I was strongly reminded of the orang- 

 outang at the Zoological Gardens ; the manner in which each of these very 



