ORDER CRUSTACEA H0M0BRANCHI.15. 123 



also a surprising power in itself, voluntarily to break 

 off its own legs and claws. It seems this takes place 

 when any serious injury, by bruising, has happened 

 to any of its members. After it has received the hurt it 

 bleeds, and gives signs of pain, by moving the wounded 

 limb from side to side, but afterwards holds it quite still, 

 in 'a direct and natural position, without touching any 

 part of its body or its other legs with it. Then, on a 

 sudden, with a gentle crack, the wounded part of the 

 leg drops off at the next joint to the one injured ; this 

 appears to be more easily done with respect to the 

 smaller legs, than in the case of an injury occurring to 

 those which bear the pincers. 



When the leg has dropped off, a mucus, or jelly, is 

 discharged on the remaining part of the joint next the 

 body, which, as a natural styptic, instantly stops the 

 bleeding ; this gradually hardens and grows callous, 

 becoming a new leg in miniature, which at every change 

 of the creature's shell increases rapidly in size. 



Crabs are naturally very quarrelsome, and with their 

 claws fight and kill each other; and if by chance any of 

 their limbs should be so bruised, as to have taken away 

 from the creature the power of breaking off its claws, 

 the protecting jelly is not produced, and the animal 

 bleeds to death. An experiment was made to give some 

 idea of the tenacious disposition of this creature, by 

 obliging a Crab, with one of its great claws, to lay hold 

 of one of its smaller ones ; the silly creature did] not dis- 

 tinguish that itself was the aggressor, but exerted its 

 strength, and soon cracked the shell of its own small leg, 

 which bled freely ; but feeling itself wounded it suc- 

 ceeded in breaking off its limb in the usual manner, 



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