Queries and Answers. 197 
-two or three weeks after quitting the sea; and, after spawning, it is not only unwholesome, but 
actually poisonous, and yet during the whole of its sojourn in the rivers it is destroyed unlimitedly 
by poachers and others. Iam, Sir, &c. —J. Carr. Jan. 1830. f 
Crabs abound in the castern Parts of Jamaica at all Seasons, but are best in the months which 
have an R in their names, as April, &c, They aremost abundant in May, when they deposit their 
eggs, or run, as the Negroes call it. At this season it is impossible to keep them even out of the 
_ bedrooms, where, at one time scratching with their large claws, at another rattling across the 
floor, they make a noise which might alarm or startle a stranger. For a few weeks in this season 
they may be gathered inany number. Even the hogs catch them, though not always with impunity, 
as acrab sometimes lays hold of one of them by the snout, from which he is not easily disengaged, 
and the terrified animal runs about squeaking in great distress. At other seasons, and when more 
valuable, they are caught by torch-light at night, and put into covered baskets. Crowds of Ne- 
groes pass my house every evening, with torches and baskets, going to a crab-wood on the other 
side, and return before midnight fully laden. Their baskets contain about forty crabs, and the 
regular price is a five-penny piece, our smallest coin, equal to about 34d. sterling, for five or six 
crabs. A hundred plantains, generally sold for 5s , will purchase sixty or seventy crabs. Two of 
these eaten with plantains, or yams make an excellent meal. I have seen upwards of a hundred 
Negroes pass my house on an evening, and return with their baskets not only full, but with 
‘quantities of crabs fastened by the claws on the top of the baskets; they must have had at least 
3000 crabs. Almost every Negro family has an old flour-barrel, pierced with holes, in which the 
crabs are kept. They are fed with plantain skins, &c., and taken out as wanted. , 
There is a great variety of crabs in Jamaica, but only two are eaten. The black is the best, and 
is one of the greatest West Indian delicacies, hardly less so than the turtle. ‘They live in moun- 
tain forests, in strong ground, and feed on the fallen dry leaves of the trees. The white crab, as 
it is called (though rather purple than white), principally used by the Negroes, but also by the 
Whites, is larger, and resembles the lobster in taste. These are amphibious, and are found in the 
low lands, principally in the woods, where, as I have already said, they are caught at night with 
torches. They are numerous also in cultivated fields, and in some of the low-lying estates do con- 
siderable injury at times to the planters in dry weather, when vegetation is slow, by nipping off 
the blade of the young canes and corn as it shoots through the ground. In such situations the 
Negroes catch them in a singular manner. They know trom the appearance of a crab-hole, if 
there is a crab in it, and dig down till they come to the water, say 18 in. or 2ft. and then close the 
hole firmly with a handful of dry grass; in this manner one Negro will stop two dozen holes in a 
morning. About four hours after he returns, and his prisoners being by this time drunkened 
(half-drownead), they tumbled out along with the plug of grass and are caught. 
In 1811 there was a very extraordinary production of black crabs in the eastern part of Ja- 
maica. In June or July the whole district of Mauchioneal was covered with countless millions, 
swarming from the sea to the mountains. Of this I was an eye-witness. On ascending Oua Hill, 
from the vale of Plantain Garden River, the road appeared of a reddish colour, as if strewed with 
brick-dust. It was owing to myriads of young black crabs, about the size of the nail of a man’s 
finger, moving at a pretty quick pace direct for the mountains. I rode along the coast a distance 
of about fifteen miles,and found it nearly the same the whole way ; only in some places they were 
more numerous, in others less so. Returning the following day, I found the road still covered 
with them, the same as the day before. How have they been produced, and where do they come 
from ? were questions every body asked, and nobody could answer. It is well known that crabs 
deposit their eggs once a year, in May ; but, except on this occasion, though living on the coast, I 
had never seen above a dozen young crabs together, and here were millions. No unusual num- 
ber of old crabs had been observed in that season; and it is observable that they were moving 
from a rock-bound coast of inaccessible cliffs, the abode of sea birds, and exposed to the constant 
influence of the trade winds. No person, as far as I know, ever saw the like except on that occa- 
sion ; and I have understood that, since 1811, black crabs have been abundant farther in the inte- 
rior of the island than they were ever known before. (Jamaica Royal Gaxette, March, 1829.) — 
Can you or any of your readers tell how many of the above crabs are described? — X. ¥. June, 
1829. 
Night-smelling Plants. —Can any of your correspondents inform me why 
the flowers of the night-smelling plants, such as Cheiranthus tristis, Pelar- 
gonium filipendulifolium, P. gibbosum, &c. &c., are all of dark or dingy 
colours ? — Anon. July 1829. 
Senecio lividus and sylvaticus. — Sir, Can you or any of your numerous 
correspondents inform me of the true specific distinction between Senecio 
lividus, and Senécio sylvaticus; since, though I have frequently examined 
the plants so called for that purpose, I have never been able to discover 
any satisfactory difference between them. The various situations in which 
I have gathered them preclude the possibility of their specific characters, if 
such really exist, from being unobserved. I have specimens from the sea 
coast, from the Hambledon Hills, where I gathered it in great abundance 
this summer, in a field of oats, growing with Rhinanthus major, and nearly 
obliterating the crop; also in some woods in this neighbourhood. The dif- 
ferent authors whom I have consulted on the subject give, as the specific 
difference, the green tips of the calyx scales in Senecio lividus. Now, in all 
my specimens, the tips, on their first coming out of the flowers are green, 
but in their advanced state are perfectly discoloured. I should be obliged 
if any of your correspondents would give me their opinions on the subject, 
since I feel almest convinced that they are the same species. — 1, D. Rich- 
mond, Yorkshire, Nov. 24, 1829. 
