
SOMETHING ABOUT CRABS. 261 
delicate, horny pen, which forms a sort of stiffener to the 
back. In some species the pen is hard, thick and broad, and 
the euttle-fish bone of commerce is a pen of this kind. The 
species found in our waters is very small, and not at all 
dangerous, being barely large enough to draw blood from 
the hand; but in the tropical seas they are very large, pow- 
erful and dangerous. 
The cuttle-fish is the original of Victor Hugo's devil- 
fish, so vividly described in the "Toilers of the Sea.” 
If the devil-fish were a beneficent creation, I should be 
sorry to destroy your faith in it; but as it is, I believe 
it will be rather a relief than otherwise to know that in 
some important respects, Victor Hugo’s story of it is a 
fable. The Kraken was a mythical cuttle-fish of fabulous 
size. 

SOMETHING ABOUT CRABS. 
BY REV. SAMUEL LOCKWOOD. 

WELL do we remember our boyish sport catching crabs. 
A stout string, a piece of fresh offal, a hand-net, and another 
_ boy with us and a good place on an anchored raft,—then for 
fun. The meat was dropped to the bottom ; the cancerous 
varmint took hold, and kept hold; then we slowly drew the 
bait up, and, when within a few inches of the surface, chum 
adroitly slipped the seoop-net under. But would'nt "spider- 
legs" run up the sides of the net! It needed all our alert- 
hess to secure the prey. What a luxury those crab dinners ! 
But what was that pleasure compared to the delight of our 
riper years, when we made the acquaintance of the inner life 
of these entertaining people, Lupa, Libinia, Pagurus, and 
. others. We have spent many health-giving days with them 
at the “watering-places,” and many hours in the drawing- 
