20 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
of mine once caught fifty-three crayfish with a rod and line 
baited with worms. 
A curious way to keep the crustaceans from dying, when put 
into the basket of the fishermen, is to put a handful of stinging- 
nettles in with them. I could not account for this fact at all, 
although, of course, most crustaceans will live for a long time in 
a moist atmosphere; in fact, if a crayfish be suddenly placed 
into deep water, after having been for a short time out of that 
element, it will probably die. 
Wishing to test the theory of the nettles, I had some cray- 
fishes sent to me at Croydon, and they reached me healthy and 
vigorous, packed in nettles. I placed two or three of the 
strongest in a tub of water (tap water, not river water); in an 
hour they were dead. The remainder I placed in an open 
hamper with some nettles; I was careful that the nettles were 
not wetted, but just as they were gathered. The crayfishes lived 
for several days, but ultimately died one by one, the nettles 
being renewed every few days; one specimen, however, lived 
for the comparatively long period of twenty-two days without 
a drop of water or any food, but simply supplied with the 
nettles. 
Another Astacus, which I obtained subsequently, lived for 
nearly a year in water an inch and a half deep, with mud at the 
bottom and a broken flower-pot as a hiding-place, into which it 
retreated backwards, guarding the entrance with its massive 
claws. It was a very fine specimen, and did not exuviate its shell. 
It fed freely on worms, but unfortunately died from a sudden 
increase of temperature in the early part of the summer, which 
prevented my keeping its little pond cool enough. Prof. Bell 
relates an interesting anecdote of a ‘‘ domesticated crayfish.” 
Although this crustacean is ‘‘not highly esteemed” in this 
country, I think it must be due to the fact that to be appreciated 
it must be boiled as soon as captured, and eaten as soon as 
boiled. On the Continent it is much more largely used, as 
travellers there are well aware. I believe it might be success- 
fully farmed in this country, if ever a free demand sprang up for 
it: for with judicious feeding and preservation I do not think 
that twenty or thirty thousand would be an unreasonable number 
to expect from one brook in a season. 
(To be continued.) 
