NATURAL HISTORY 
248 
CRAB. 
The Crab is found equally upon land as 
in the water. They are of various kinds, 
and endued with various properties. Some 
are healthful, delicious, and nourishing food; 
others are poisonous of malignant. The 
violet Crab is the most noted, both for its 
shape, the delicacy of its flesh, and the sin- 
gularity of its manners. It somewhat resem- 
bles two hands cut through the middle, and 
joined together; for each side is like four 
fingers, and the two nippers or claws re- 
semble the thumbs ; all the rest of the body 
is covered with a large shell. It has two 
long eyes about the size of a grain of barley, 
transparent as crystal; a little below these 
is the mouth, which is furnished with two 
sharp teeth as white as snow. 
