A SOFT CRAB. 175 



in the soft rock in climbing up the precipice, when 

 embayed by the tide, and so forth. I felt loth to 

 part with my old knife, and therefore at once put on 

 my hat, running hard for fear the tide, which had 

 ah'eady turned, might be too high. I got to the place, 

 however, just in time, found my knife, and then took 

 another peep at the Crab. It had not moved, and 

 thinking that if I could not eat it myself I might ask 

 my neighbour's acceptance of it, I drew it out with my 

 fingers, as I had done with the former. But lo ! it was 

 a soft Crab ; the shell being of the consistency of wet 

 parchment, and the colours (all except those of the 

 carapace) being pale. It was a female too, without 

 any sign of spawn, and had lost one claw ; strange ! 

 that I had not thought of connecting the soft claw 

 that I had drawn out before, with this Crab that I 

 saw at the bottom. But I carefully put the helpless 

 creature into the hole again, and saw that it settled 

 its legs and body comfortably in its old quarters ; 

 and there I left it : for our Crab is worthless for the 

 table in this condition, unlike the Land Crabs of the 

 West Indies, which are esteemed peculiarly delicate 

 in their soft state. 



What then are we to infer from this association ? 

 Do the common Crabs live in pairs ? and does one 

 keep guard at the mouth of their cavern, while its 

 consort is undergoing its change of skin ? If this 

 is the case, it is a pretty trait of cancrine character, 

 and one not unw^orthy of their acute instinct and 

 sagacity in other respects. The male displayed no 

 appearance of the moult, its coat being of a shelly 

 hardness. I have no doubt that the claw of its mate 



