788 CRUSTACEA—CRAB. 
out of the body, and sticks to the barbs under the flab, or more properly the 
tail. This bunch is seen as big as a hen’s egg, and exactly resembling the 
roes of herrings. In this state of pregnancy, they gnce more seek the 
snore for the last time, and shaking off their spawn into the water, leave 
accident to bring it to maturity. At this time, whole shoals of hungry fish 
are at the shore, and about two thirds of the crabs’ eggs are immediately 
devoured by these rapacious invaders. The eggs that escape are hatched 
under the sand; and soon after, millions at a time of these 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 creep Hong, and the flesh at that time 
changes its color. Most of them, therefore, are obliged to continue in the 
flat parts of the country till they recover, making holes in the earth, which 
they cover at the mouth with leaves and dirt, so that no air may enter. 
There they throw off their old shells, which they leave as it were quite 
whole, the place where they are opened on the belly being unseen. At that 
time they are quite naked, and almost without motion for six days together, 
when they become so fat as to be delicious food. They have then under their 
stomachs four large white stones, which gradually decrease in proportion as 
the shell hardens, and when they come to perfection are not to be found. It 
1s at that time that the animal is seen slowly making its way back; and ali 
this is most commonly performed in the space of six weeks. 
The descent of these creatures for such important purposes, deserves our 
admiration; but there is an animal of the lobster kind that annually de- 
scends from its mountains in like manner, and for purposes still more im- 
portant and various. Its descent is not only to produce an offspring, but to 
provide itself a covering; not only to secure a family, but to furnish a 
house. The animal in question is the Soldier Crab, or Hermit Crab,! whicb 
nas some similitude to the lobster, if divested of its shell. It is usually 
about four inches long, has no shell behind, but is covered down to the tad 
with a rough skin, terminating in a point. It is, however, armed with 
strong, hard nippers before, like the lobster; and one of them 1s as thick an 
1 Pagurus Bernhardus. Lin. 
