1890.2 THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



219 



long as the tide is either flowing or ebbing, the cork is carried under 

 water, and the position of the "pots" safe from poachers. But as 

 soon as slack water intervenes, the cork rises to a vertical position and 

 thus points out the whereabouts of the sunken treasures to the fisher- 

 man, who must be on the spot to the minute, for once allow the flow 

 of the water to carry the float under, and it is hopeless to search for 

 them. The method of the fishermen to determine the exact spot 

 where the pots are sunk is extremely ingenious, though equally simple, 

 and merely consists in noting two buildings or landmarks which be- 

 come superimposed when the craft has reached the "ground." 



As the dripping baskets are hauled up, and their contents emptied 

 in the boat, the success attendant upon the mode of capture becomes 

 apparent. Great whelks covered the bottom, having entered the trap 

 with a degree of facility that did not attend their ultimate efforts to 

 escape, while others were still occupied in feasting upon the bait, 

 scraping out the flesh from the interior of the crabs by inserting their 

 enormously long probosces through the hole made for the passage of 

 the cane, as previously described. Large Hermit Crabs, Pagurus 

 bemhardus, helped to swell the struggling, slimy crowd, and on breaking 

 their shells and turning the very much disgusted owners out homeless 

 into the cold world, we found that most specimens harboured a 

 lodger, in the shape of a large Annelid (Nereis ). 



There were also Spider Crabs, and one specimen was found bearing 

 a spongy growth on its back, small specimens of Echinus sphoeva and 

 two species of Star fish, Ophiothvix pentapliyllium and Palimpes 

 (sp. ?) the former afterwards turning up in great numbers, and 

 of large size, under stones on the south side of the bay. We 

 were also interested in renewing our acquaintance with one of the 

 little Squat Lobsters, Galathea nexa, first seen when dredging on the 

 South Coast of England, in the autumn of 1889. The fishermen 

 seemed considerably puzzled over our penchant for such " fish," but 

 nevertheless lent a ready hand in smashing the shells of the " magoch" 

 (Hermit Crabs), and disentangling the spines of the "Cordon Kits" 

 (Echinidce J from the meshes of the " buccie pots." 



The only other specimen of importance was a small Hermit Crab, 

 whose shell was encrusted with a sponge, Suberitis domuncula (Sp. ?) 



We must not omit to mention that from the weeds attached to the 

 immersed portion of the conical iron buoy at the mouth of the bay, we 



