cock crabs are common in the early months of the year in the London 

 markets. At Flamborongh the largest crabs are only 7 inches, and at 

 Scarborough a 6-inch, crab is a good crab. It is certain therefore that there 

 are two kinds of crabs, a large sort and a small sort — by analogy " Pony crabs " 

 and " Horse crabs " — and that the smaller kind will never exceed a certain 

 dimension ; the cause of this difference in size is probably temperature — the 

 Cornish coast being within the influence of the Gulf stream, as shown by the 

 vegetation and other natural products, and the sea on the east coast being as 

 cold as any part of the North Sea, and therefore unfavourable to the growth 

 of crabs. Mr. Spence Bate considers that Cornwall, where the largest crabs 

 are taken, is the central habitat of the species (see Evidence, England and 

 Wales, p. 57), 



A kind of black crab is caught in Mount's Bay. These crabs, as at Scilly, 

 are small, black, light, and not fit to take ; and a small sort of crab is found 

 in a place near Plymouth breakwater; they are never large there; it is 

 possible that this is simply a breeding place (vide Evidence, England and Wales, 



Small kinds of lobsters are also caught at Scarborough. Bridlington Quay, 

 in Yorkshire, may also be said to be a nursery for crabs ; as many as 300 little 

 crabs are sometimes caught there in one night. 



Crabs are migratory in their habits. They especially resemble insects, inas- Migrations of 

 much as they are most lively in warm weather ; they approach the shore in sum- craljs - 

 mer time. Witnesses at various places gave the following evidence on this point : 

 — " On the 9th May 1876, crabs and lobsters came in in good quantities. On 

 " the 16th they came in in nice quantities. On the 31st he had three dozen 

 " very fine fish. On the 2nd June he had two dozen and four. On the 8th 

 " of June one-and-a-half dozen. On the 12th June two-and-a-half dozen. 

 " On the 15th June one dozen and a score. A dozen lobsters is 13. Twenty- 

 " six half crabs make a dozen." 



Another witness said, " Begins fishing in March, looking for cock crabs. 

 " The cold in the spring keeps back the hen crabs. When the warm weather 

 " comes he looks for hen crabs and catches fewer cocks. After the hen crabs 

 " get scarcer, in August and September, he looks out for crayfish." 



" The crab and lobster fishery ceases from the middle of August to the 

 " middle of March, when they are migrating." 



" Crabs and lobsters came to a certain ground near the Longships, and were 

 " as thick as possible, even when the fishermen left off fishing in September. 

 " When the fishermen went back in March and April to look for them they 

 " were all gone." 



"It is useless to set the pots before April. In October they (the crabs) 

 " draw off into deeper water." 



" The crabs come in from the deep water. They come some years in March, 

 " some in April, but this depends on the weather. They crawl best in April 

 " and May." 



One witness produced a " chart of sea-bottom adjacent to Banff, Macduff, 

 " and Whitehills, showing that in the autumn months the crabs are three miles 

 " from land, and in the summer months, May to August, near the land for 

 "shelling." 



"Female crabs are caught by trawlers in early part of the year,' February 

 " and March, 6 to 18 miles from the shore." 



" In the spring of the year no large she crabs are seen, but in the summer 

 " they are caught" 



" Crabs and lobsters come towards the shore in warm weather, and bury 

 " themselves in the winter." 



" Crabs and lobsters will not crawl in hard frosty weather." 



Crabs will foretell the weather 24 hours beforehand, and will not move when Crabs and 

 a storm is coming on. Warm, rainy weather with westerly winds, is good for weather, 

 catching crabs. During the easterly winds the crabs are inferior, and no big 

 ones are to be caught; night is the most favourable time to catch them. 

 Crabs "crawl best" after a heavy ground swell, which is called a " crab swell." 

 The reason probably is that the bottom of the sea is disturbed, and the crabs 

 are thus enabled to get worms and other food. Hot weather is necessary for 

 crab fishing. Thick water in day time and clear water at night is the best time 

 for fishing. The moon makes very little difference. 



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