Class V. ASTACUS. LOBSTER. 19 



' In casting their shells, it is hard to conceive 

 how the Lobster is able to draw the fish of 

 their large claws out, leaving the shells entire 

 and attached to the shell of their body; in 

 which state they are constantly found. The 

 fishermen say the Lobster pines before cast- 

 ing, till the fish in its large claw is no thicker 

 than the quill of a goose, which enables it to 

 draw its parts through the joints and narrow 

 passage near the trunk. The new shell is 

 quite membraneous at first, but hardens by 

 degrees. Lobsters only grow in size while 

 their shells are in their soft state. They are 

 chosen for the table, by their being heavy in 

 proportion to their size ; and by the hardness 

 of their shells on their sides, which, when in 

 perfection, will not yield to moderate pres- 

 sure. Barnacles and other small shell-fish 

 adhering to them are esteemed certain marks 

 of superior goodness. Cock Lobsters are in 

 general better than the hens in winter; they 

 are distinguished by the narrowness of their 

 tails, and by their having a strong spine upon 

 the center of each of the transverse processes 

 beneath the tail, which support the four mid- 

 dle plates of their tails. The fish of a Lob- 

 ster's claw is more tender, delicate, and easy 

 of digestion than that of the tail. Lobsters 



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