228 
CRABS. 
good results. Many treasures of tlie sea were 
brought to light. The crabs were always great 
favourites of mine, although they are usually more 
picturesque than beautiful. In their rugged shells 
and hirsute coats they are frequently grotesque, 
bizarre, and even absurd in their personal appear- 
ance, the shuffling, staring, stalk-eyed, uncouth 
beings 1 Some of them have legs upon their backs, 
by means of which they retain shields formed of 
sponges, under which they hide themselves. And 
then their singular habits ! They sidle awkwardly 
along ; they feign death ; they spitefully snap their 
claws at you ; they defiantly advance; they timidly 
retreat ; they hide themselves in old shells ; they 
wimffle themselves into cracks and crannies of 
oo 
stones, and the labyrinthine recesses of the 
corals. 
And then we have the s]Donges alcynoid and 
silicious, which often* crowd the dredge and cause 
an embarrassment of riches, but as their sjhcula 
are sharp and irritate the hands, they are usually 
thrown overboard. Some of them, though wanting 
