ON CRUSTACEA. 283 



ing concealed at every other time. It forms an article of 

 food. 



OcYPODE is another genus of Crustacea, very natural, 

 though previously to the time of our author, but imperfectly 

 characterized. 



These Crustacea are proper to the hot climates of the two 

 hemispheres, and remain on the sandy tracts of the edges of 

 the sea, or of rivers near their mouth. They there hol- 

 low burrows, into which they retire in case of danger, and 

 where they pass the night. It is presumable that they also 

 shut themselves up there during the period of the moulting 

 Olivier in vain attempted by running to catch the species 

 which he observed on the coasts of Syria, which is probably 

 the same of which Pliny makes mention, and which the 

 Greeks designated, by reason of the celerity of its course, 

 under the name of Hipyeus — cavalier or knight. 



" They ran," says Olivier, " towards the sea, or repaired into 

 their hole, according as one or the other was most within their 

 reach. They almost always trace, in running, an oblique 

 line." M. Bosc also tells us, with respect to a species proper 

 to Carolina (alba), that he had some difficulty in overtaking 

 these Crustacea on horse-back, and killing them by musket- 

 shot. The ocypodes, like the analogous Crustacea, in all pro- 

 bability feed upon the carcases of animals. Some of the 

 facts reported by travellers, relative to the earth-crahs, should 

 be applied to them, but some only, because they have con- 

 founded under this latter name many Crustacea of different 

 genera, such as gecarcinus, grapsus, &c. Pere Labat, in 

 his " Nouvelle relation de I'Afrique Occidentale," speaks of a 

 species of toiirlotirou, which is found at the point of Barbary, 

 and which is there called crah. It is reported that this ani- 

 mal cannot be eaten without danger of poison, and that these 

 same Crustacea cut in pieces and devour the individuals of 

 their own species, which have been lamed by any accident. 



13 



