46 THE BROAD-CLAW. 



many parts of His word, such as the Psalms of David, 

 the Proverhs of Solomon, the Book of Job, and the 

 teachings of the Lord Jesus himself, instruct us how 

 to do this, and furnish us with examples, in the various 

 details of the habits, instincts and economy of what 

 we call the Works of Nature. It is given as the 

 solemn condemnation of the polished nations of 

 antiquity, that " when they knew God [viz. in the 

 works of His creation] they glorified Him not as God" 

 (Rom. i. 21). It was not that men were lacking among 

 them who, as now, in their measure, studied and ad- 

 mired the works of Nature, so called, hut no praise, 

 no glory, accrued to God from their studies. 



There is found in the crannies and clefts of the rocky 

 ledges, and beneath stones that lie at the verge of low 

 water, a little Crab of somewhat peculiar structure and 

 no less interesting habits, which affords me the text 

 for my discourse above written. It is the Hairy 

 Broad-claw (Porcellana platycheles), one of those 

 interesting species that connect groups differing very 

 widely from each other in their typical forms. The 

 common Crab and the Lobster appear very remote 

 from each other in their obvious characters, but these 

 Porcelain Crabs occupy a "debatable ground" between 

 them. Any one on looking at one would say in a 

 moment, it is a Crab ; its broad, flat carapace is un- 

 mistakable, and the thin abdomen or tail is carried 

 just as the Common Crab carries his, pressed close up 

 to the under side of the chest. But when we come 

 to examine it closely, we find the last joint of this 

 very abdomen furnished with fringed swimming-plates, 

 like that of a Lobster, the foot-jaws are largely deve- 



