90 The Commercial Products of the Sea. 



CHAPTER VIIL 



CRUSTACEA. 



Useful or food-supplying Crustacea — The lobster — The British fishery — Size to 

 which lobsters grow — Technical names by which they are sold in Billings- 

 gate — Supply of crabs — Crab-pots — Lobster fishery in America — Change 

 of colour in boiling — Statistics of the trade in canning lobsters, etc. — 

 The Norway lobster fishery. 



Among the cmstacea we have the useful or food- 

 supplying kinds, such as the boiled lobster and the canned 

 or tinned lobster ; the edible crabs of the market, used for 

 food, and the king-crab for manure ; large prawns, used 

 in place of the lobster on the west coast of America ; those 

 sold in the markets of Europe, at New York, and the east 

 and south coasts of America ; the smaller shrimps and 

 prawns, held in esteem by various nations, and many of 

 which serve for bait. The liquid fat of the hermit-crab 

 {Pagiims sp), under the name of " manteca de ladron," is 

 used in Venezuela to cure laxations of the bowels. 



The shell of the king-crab {Limulns polyphemtis) is used 

 on the American coasts as a boat-bailer. 



Of the crustaceans, the lobster is that which is most in 

 demand, although the more common crab is, of the two, 

 most digestible and nourishing. But the lobster has always 

 been held in estimation as a food delicacy, and from being 

 so sought for, leads to a very extensive commerce. Besides 



