38 
Tank No. 7. 
withdrawn from the old shell. It is a troublesome and often dangerous 
operation, as all the appendages have to be drawn out including the 
large claws, the eyes, the antennae and the jaws; even the wall of the 
stomach has to be renewed! Often the animals have to sacrifice one 
or both claws, and they are in great danger until the new covering has 
hardened sufficiently; so that they instinctively seek a place of retreat 
during this operation. Uninjured specimens which have just shed their 
skin, look very handsome in their new and bright apparel. 
Of the habits of the Lobster which can be observed in the Aqua¬ 
rium, we would only mention that of digging holes and ditches in the 
mud, partly for hiding-places and partly for burying food; also its 
suspicious behaviour towards its companions, with which it often engages 
in deadly combat, trying the gigantic strength of its claws with only too 
much success. The invalids with shortened feelers and broken claws, 
sometimes seen in the tanks, are unfortunate individuals wounded in 
battle or during the period of moulting. — The real home of the Lobster 
is on the coasts of Northern Europe, where 
its capture forms an important part of the fishing 
industry. It is caught in creels or "pots”, into 
which it is enticed at night by baits of meat; 
these it relishes greatly, whether they be fresh 
or putrefying In the Mediterranean Lobsters 
are more rare, and therefore more expensive. 
In the next tank (No. 7) the reader will 
find a near ally of the Lobster, the Spiny- 
lobster or Craw-fish, Palinurus vulgaris 
(Fig. 55), often mistaken for the true Lobster. 
But a mere glance shews the difference between 
Fig. 55. Palinurus vulgaris, 73 nat. size. Tank 7. 
them ; the absence of great pinching claws, the spin shell and the enormous 
antennae immediately strike the eye of even the casual observer, and 
further comparison will reveal a host of less obvious differences. In their 
