THE SHORES OF BRITAIN. 99 
of its clutches. But, ‘tide waits for no man,’ even 
though his thumb should bein a Crab’s claw; and so 
the flood returned, until the greater part of the arm 
was in water, and the ripple even beginning to 
mount’ to the top of the rock, which, as the tides 
were high at that particular time, was speedily to 
be at least a fathom under water; and destruction 
seemed inevitable. A townsman who had been fol- 
lowing the same fishery with an iron hook at the end 
of a stick, fortunately came in sight; and by intro- 
ducing that, and detaching the other pincer of the 
Crab, which is one of the common means of making 
it let go its hold, he restored the official personage 
to land and life.”* 
The fisherman, however, prefers asi mode of 
taking Crabs, than by seeking them in their rocky 
retreats. He uses pots made of wicker-work, with 
an opening in the top, made by the ends of the rods, 
bent inwards, and converging towards a point; their 
elasticity allowing a Crab to enter readily enough, 
but causing them to spring back to their first posi- 
tion when he is in, presenting only their converged 
points when he wishes to escape; the entrance being 
in the top of the pot, moreover, he cannot well get 
at it when once inside. Some decaying animal mat- 
ter is put in by way of bait, which is an unfailing 
temptation to the Crab’s palate, and the pot is sunk 
in deep water by means of a heavy stone. A line 
attached to a float on the surface of the water, marks 
the situation of each_pot, and prevents mistakes as to 
property. 
* Brit. Naturalist, i. 27 9 
