66 OUR CARCINOLOGICAL FRIENDS. 



the ambient waters, for they appear to delight in 

 the mud-flats as much as the other species; but 

 they possess, in the art of swimming, one advan- 

 tage over their fellows. 



When the embryo crab escapes from the egg it 

 is liberated in the form of a very remarkable little 

 body known as the Zoea, whose real nature was for 



ZoEA OF Cbab (magnified). Meoalops (magnified). 



a long time a sealed chapter to the naturalist. This 

 Zoea is furnished with a big head and an elongated 

 body, but the features that most readily arrest one's 

 attention are the three or four long spines which 

 appear to be carelessly thrust out from different 

 parts of the body and head, and which give to the 

 tiny creature a singularly uncouth aspect. For 

 many years before the connection between the Zoea 

 and the crab was known, the former was looked 

 upon as a mature animal, and naturally regarded 

 as a distinct species. From the Zoea the crab 

 passes by gradual stages to the Megalops con- 

 dition, when, as the name indicates, the eyes are 

 developed to a disproportionately large size. In 

 this process of growth to maturity the crab is com- 

 pelled at repeated intervals to cast its skin or shell, 



