128 OUT OF DOORS. 



loose sand over the spot, and nearly obliterates the traces 

 of the creature that is lurking below. A practised eye 

 will, however, detect the concealed crab by means of the 

 bubbles that issue from the sand in consequence of the 

 air expressed from the system. 



Here we may mention that the proper way to catch 

 a crab without being bitten is to press the forefinger 

 smartly on the middle of the back, and then to grasp 

 the two side edges with the thumb and middle finger. 

 The claws are thus forced to fold their joints, and their 

 painful bite need not be feared. 



Holding the crab in this manner, turn it over, and 

 examine the wonderful manner in which the limbs are 

 packed, and how admirably they accommodate them- 

 selves to the habits of the animal. The claws, when 

 folded, exactly bring their extremities to the mouth, 

 so that any food can be carried to the right place, and 

 literally ' tucked in.' The mouth itself is an apparatus 

 so complicated that it cannot be described further than 

 as being a series of jaws and teeth, placed behind each 

 other in regular succession, and opening like horizontal 

 shears. 



A creature that depends upon its own exertions to 

 capture the active prey on which it feeds must neces- 

 sarily be furnished with powerful eyes, which are capable 

 of extending the faculty of vision over a very large field. 

 These eyes are seen on the front margin of the crab, 

 placed on footstalks, and having a peculiar nacreous 

 lustre on their grey-brown surfaces. On examination 



