MOULT OF THE LOBSTER. 257 



its appendages, perfectly resembles the living animal. The 

 process is curious enough to deserve a few lines of description. 



When towards autumn, the time of casting the shell ap- 

 proaches, the lobster retires to a silent nook, like a pious hermit 

 to his cell, and fasts several days. The shell thus detaches 

 itself gradually from the emaciated body, and a new and tender 

 cuticle forms underneath. The old dress seems now, however, 

 to plague the lobster very much, to judge by the efforts he 

 makes to sever all remaining connection with it. Soon the 

 harness splits right through the back, like the cleft bark of a 

 tree, or a ripe seed-husk, and opens a wide gate to liberty. 

 After much tugging and wriggling, the legs, tail, and claws 

 gradually follow the body. The claws give the lobster most 

 trouble ; but he is well aware that perseverance generally wins 

 the day, and never ceases till the elastic mass, which can be 

 drawn out like india-rubber, and instantly resumes its ordinary 

 shape, has been forced through the narrow passage. It can 

 easily be supposed that, after such a violent struggle for freedom,, 

 the lobster is not a little exhausted. Feeling his weakness, and 

 the very insufficient protection afforded him by his soft covering, 

 he bashfully retires from all society until his hardened case 

 allows him to mix again with his friends on terms of equality, 

 for he well knows how inclined they are to bite and devoiu- a 

 softer brother. 



The facility with which the Crustacea cast off their legs, and 

 even their heavy claws, when they have been wounded in one 

 of these organs or alarmed at thunder, is most remarkable 

 Without the least appearance of pain, they then continue to run 

 along upon their remaining legs. After some time a new limb 

 grows out of the old stump, but never attains the size of the 

 original limb. 



At the beginning of the chapter I have already briefly 

 described the wonderful transformations of the barnacles, 

 acorn-shells, and lernese, but the changes which the young 

 crabs, lobsters, prawns, and shrimps, have to undergo ere they 

 assume their perfect form are no less astonishing. Thus in the 

 earliest state of the small edible crab (Carcinvs moenas) we 

 find a creature with a preposterously large helmet-shaped head, 

 ending behind in a long spine, and furnished in front with two 

 monstrous sessile eyes like the windows of a lantern. By means 



