1893-94.] M]’ Gregg Wilson on Reproduction of Edible Crab. 313 
taken in the creaves ; and one case that has been brought to my 
notice suggests that perhaps they bury themselves under sand for a 
time : one was found well covered with sand in a pitcher that was 
brought up on a fisherman’s line from a sandy bottom at Holy 
Island. It is not till May that they are got in considerable num- 
bers, even at the parts of the coast where they are most abundant ; 
so it would appear that it is only when the time for the hatching 
out of the spawn comes near that they begin to feed at all freely. 
They are almost invariably found on sand ; and the fact that they 
are got congregated in certain districts indicates that there is 
migration * connected with either the spawning act or the hatching 
out of the ova. 
A matter of as great importance, from an economic point of view, 
as the determination of the spawning time, is to ascertain the size 
of maturity. At present crabs that are under inches are pro- 
tected by law, and in the English Channel this is sufficient to 
ensure that all will reach the spawning size. In the North, how- 
ever, it is otherwise : I have only comparatively rarely seen a 
mature female crab smaller than 6 inches, and usually 6J inches is 
the adult size. This conclusion, which is based on an examination 
of many ovaries, is confirmed by the general experience of the 
Northumberland fishermen, many of whom say they have never 
seen a berried crab less than 7 inches across, though a fishery 
officer was able to give me a shell measuring only inches, as 
belonging to the smallest berried crab he had ever seen.f There is 
* The whole subject of the migration of crabs has been much discussed : 
they are, in fact, fished offshore in the early months of the year, and inshore 
later on ; but it is constantly urged that this is no proof of seasonal migration, 
and that a storm in summer is enough to stir up crabs well offshore, while in 
winter the inshore crabs may be buried. But a Beadnell man has got some 
definite results of labelling experiments for me : two crabs out of twelve that 
were marked and liberated at the shore in December 1892 were recovered in 
1893, — one in March, 1| miles out ; the other in April, fully 3 miles from the 
coast. Another, labelled in December, and put into the sea 2 miles out, was 
recovered in July close to the beach. 
t To illustrate my method, I give an abstract of my notes on twenty- 
two hard (selected) female crabs that were examined on 5th October : — 
Of 4 from 5§ inches to 6 inches all were immature. 
Of 8 
Of 10 
I 4 were immature. 
1 4 were mature and ripe, 
all were mature and ripe. 
7 
