THE GREEN CRAB. 133 



treat before a foe of greater powers, stronger weapons, 

 and harder shell namely, the edible crab, which figures 

 on our tables, and is known among the seaside popu- 

 lation as the punger. Fortunately, however, for our 

 green friend, the punger mostly inhabits a different 

 belt of water, being most commonly found among the 

 rocks at low-water mark, whereas the green crab lives 

 almost wholly above that elevation. 



Many persons when walking along the shore have 

 observed a curious series of little marks on the sand, set 

 in rows of five or so in depth, and meandering in seem- 

 ingly purposeless irregularities. At first the marks 

 appear to be made without any order, but a little 

 examination will show that the same group of marks 

 is repeated at regular intervals. These are the foot- 

 tracks of the green crab, and the distance between the 

 parallel lines of marks denotes the size of the animal 

 that made them. 



Guided by these tracks, an experienced shore-hunter 

 can often follow the crab to its place of concealment and 

 bring it to light, whether it be buried in the sand, or 

 lying under the shelter of pendent seaweeds. In 

 attempting this feat, however, it is as well to be quite 

 sure of the direction in which the crab has gone, so as not 

 to be led away from, instead of towards, the hidden 

 crustacean. This object can easily be attained by 

 examining the shape of the marks, which are always 

 larger at one end than the other, the larger extremities 

 always pointing in the direction the crab has taken. 



