COMMON OBJECTS OF THE SHOEE. 289 



bodies, and long thin hairy legs, so like the spider, 

 that fishermen call them the spider-crabs; and 

 there is a little crab not at all unfrequent in the 

 shell of the mussel, which is the subject of many 

 an ancient legend. This is the Pea-crab (Pinno- 

 theres pisum), a tiny creature, belonging to a group 

 of small crustaceans, which dwell between the 

 mantle lobes of the mussels and pinnae, as well as 

 those of some other bivalve mollusks. The ancients 

 had strange poetic fancies respecting these pea- 

 crabs, nor were they entirely rejected by naturalists 

 or poets of modern times, though disproved by the 

 investigation of recent science. Old writers told 

 of a singular friendship existing between these 

 little animals and the mussels, relating how, while 

 the mussels lay with open shell to catch their prey, 

 the crab, espying its approach, would give the 

 shell-fish warning, so that it might suddenly close 

 its shell upon the animal. In return for this, the 

 mussel was reported to give the crab its home and 

 food, for no sooner was the shell closed than the 

 two friends shared the feast. Hasselquist, who 

 visited Smyrna about a century since, writing 

 thence, expatiates upon the valuable services of 

 this little crab, though he has a different tale to 

 tell of its doings. He observes, that the great 

 silk mussel is found there, and that some of the 

 cuttle-fish watch for it to open its shell, when, 

 putting in their long arms, they would seize and 

 devour the fish. But the sentinel crab, through 

 the small opening of the shell, was said to keep 

 so good a watch upon all enemies, that on their 

 approach it moved, and gave warning to its hos- 

 pitable entertainer, which immediately closed the 

 doors of its dwelling. It appears, however, that 

 u 



