Handbook of Paleontology 161 



color and almost rectangular in shape, about two 

 inches wide and not quite so long. The eyes are 

 stalked and one claw is twice the size of the other. 

 These crabs are fairly inactive during the day but 

 swarm over the beaches at night and as they are seen 

 flitting over the sand in the moonlight the appropri- 

 ateness of their name is apparent. The Lady Crab or 

 Sand Crab is common on sandy bottoms from Cape 

 Cod to Florida. In color it is a delicate greenish yellow 

 profusely spotted with purple-colored rings. The 

 body measures about two and one-half inches long by 

 three inches wide. The claws are powerful and armed 

 with jagged teeth, and the hind legs are paddle-shaped 

 and very effective in swimming. The Fiddler Crabs 

 are so called because the males have one claw greatly 

 developed which with the small claw gives the effect 

 of a bow and fiddle. For the most part they inhabit 

 salt marshes or live on muddy banks above high tide 

 where they riddle the ground with burrows into which 

 they quickly rush when disturbed. They live far up 

 estuaries and along the mouths of rivers even where 

 the water is quite fresh. The eyes of the Fiddler 

 Crabs are mounted on movable eye .stalks. They are 

 plant feeders. Of the three common species of the 

 Eastern coast of North America one (Uca pugilator) 

 lives on sandy as well as muddy flats and beaches near 

 high-water mark where the sand is compact and some- 

 what sheltered. It digs burrows in such beaches from 

 Cape Cod to Florida. This species is recognized by 

 its rectangular outline and the highly polished sur- 

 face of the back of the shell. The Common Shrimp 

 is found on both our coasts and ranges from North 

 Carolina to Labrador and Alaska to California. It is 



