64 



A CORNISH FAUNA. 



but little and commonly hides herself, few of them are taken in 

 the pots. Fishermen mention such instances as somewhat re- 

 markable, though most other crustaceans are familiarly taken 

 with the " pea " attached. 



The eggs are commonly shed while the parent is hid in the 

 sand ; and the young, of very small size, may be found beneath 

 stones at low water mark ; but there are some differences in this, 

 as in some other of the habits of the different sexes ; for among 

 the multitudes of young found as described I have never been 

 able to discover a female. 



The trap made use of in taking crabs and lobsters is made 

 of wicker work, in the form of the ordinary dome- shaped mouse 

 trap, with the difference that the only entrance is at the top, and 

 that the bottom is immovably joined to the structure. It is 

 about two feet and a half high, and the bait is fastened within, 

 between the neck of the entrance and the sides, by wooden 

 skewers, so as to be seen at the greatest distance. 



The skate and other fishes not generally sold in the market 

 are used for bait, and it is found that the freshest only will 

 attract the crab, whilst for lobster it is best when hung for 

 several days to become tainted. 



The pot is weighed down by a couple of stones fastened within, 

 and the place is marked by a line with single corks along its 

 course and a buoy at the end. The pots are hauled or examined 

 every morning, at which time they are rebaited, and the crabs 

 and lobsters conveyed to the store pots, which are much larger 

 than the others, and are suspended near the surface by a small 

 barrel fastened above, the more effectually to secure them from 

 the voracity of ravenous fishes that prowl below. In this man- 

 ner the fish are preserved until the arrival of the Well-Boat or 

 Lobster Smack which comes periodically to convey them to the 

 market. 



When first taken it is usual to drive a wooden peg into the 

 joints of the prehensile claws to prevent their injuring each other, 

 and no food is afforded as they will endure long abstinence with- 

 out suffering although they can live but a very short time 

 without a renewal of water. In the small collection of a few 

 dozens kept together in the store pots, this source of injury is 

 indeed of small importance ; but in the well of the lobster smack 



