A. E. Verrill — Decapod Crustacea of Bermuda. 313 



considered fit to eat. They are very fond of meat and greedily 

 devoured tlie bodies of birds that had been skinned. They are also 

 fond of the cocoa-nuts and other fruits. The large rainfall at San 

 Domingo may account for their living in comparatively dry locali- 

 ties there. Their hibernation is probably connected with their breed- 

 ing season. When pursued it often takes to the water, if near the 

 shore, but it is not a good swimmer. On Dominica Island he found 

 it much less common. There it was more confined to low lands, near 

 streams. 



Saussure, who collected this crab in Cuba, Haj^ti, and Jamaica, 

 states that it lives in large, deep holes near water, so that the lower 

 part of the hole is filled with water, but where the surface is dry_ 

 It dies in a short time if kept entirely dry. He also states that it is 

 very pugnacious and defends itself energetically when its retreat 

 is cut off, seizing a stick so firmly that it can be lifted from the 

 ground before letting go. He found its holes mostly in places 

 shaded by bushes, etc. 



It is used as food in most of the West Indian Islands, wherever 

 abundant. Sold in Porto Rico markets under the name of " Juey." 

 (Miss Rathbun.) 



It has a wide distribution, being found on both coasts of tropical 

 America, and on the West Coast of Africa. Common on most of 

 the West Indian Islands. Range, Florida Keys to Brazil. Dominica 

 Island (A. H. Verrill, Yale Mus.); San Domingo, abundant (A. H. 

 V.) ; Cape de Verdes (Stimpson) ; Florida Keys (Smith) ; Brazil 

 (White) ; Texas (Rathbun). 



Family GRAPSIDiE Milne-Edwards, 1837. 



Carapace depressed or moderately convex, more or less quadrilat- 

 eral, with the lateral margins straight or slightly arcuate. Front 

 never very narrow, in general decidedly broad. Orbits and eys- 

 stalks of moderate size. Third maxillipeds with the palpus articu- 

 lated at the apex or at the front outer angle of the merus. 

 Chelipeds in adult males usually subequal, moderately developed. 

 In the Avalking legs the seventh joint is styliform, compressed, and 

 either smooth or spiniferous. The pleon at the base usually covers 

 the whole width of the sternum between the last pair of legs. (M. 

 J. Rathbun.) 



