126 CLASS CRUSTACEA. 



proceeding. When terrified, they march back in a con- 

 fused manner, holding up their nippers and clattering 

 them loudly, to intimidate their enemies. Their general 

 food consists of vegetables ; but if any of their com- 

 panions should become maimed, and unable to proceed, 

 they are greedily devoured by the rest. 



After a march of two, and sometimes three months, in 

 this manner, they arrive at their destined spot on the 

 sea-coast; they immediately enter the water, and after 

 the waves have washed over them several times, retire 

 to holes in the rocks, and other hiding-places, where 

 they remain until the period of spawning. They then, 

 once more seek the water> and, shaking off their eggs, 

 leave them to the chance of being hatched, or devoured 

 by tribes of hungry fish, who have already repaired to 

 the spot in countless shoals, in expectation of their 

 annual treat. The eggs that escape are hatched under 

 the sand; and, soon after, millions at a time of the little 

 Crabs are seen quitting the shore, and slowly travelling 

 up to the mountains. The old ones, however, are not so 

 active to return: they have become so feeble and lean, 

 that they can hardly crawl about. Most of them, there- 

 fore, are obliged to continue in the flat parts of the 

 country till they recover; making holes in the earth, 

 into which they creep, and cover themselves up with 

 leaves and dirt ; here they throw off their old shells, and 

 continue almost without motion for about six days, 

 during which time they become so fat, as to be con- 

 sidered delicious food. In about six weeks, the new 

 shell has become tolerably hard, and the creatures may 

 be seen slowly returning to their mountain-haunts. In 

 some of the sugar-islands, it is said they form no incon- 

 siderable portion of the food of the negroes, who are ex- 



