450 A DESCRIPTION OP 
resist the motion of the waves, and to fight its enemie?. 
The Lobster makes a fulcrum with the point of its tail 
when it wants to spring off, the tail having the action of 
a powerful spring. Its gait is awkward, as in all of the 
Crustacea. Besides its claws, it has four small legs on each 
side, to assist it in its awkward movements. Under the 
tail the hen Lobster preserves her eggs till they are 
hatched. They are extremely prolific. Dr. Baxter says 
he counted twelve thousand four hundred and forty-four 
eggs under the tail of a female Lobster, besides those that 
remained in the body unprotruded. Lobsters deposit 
their eggs in the sand, where they are soon hatched. 
Like the rest of their tribe, they cast their shells annually. 
Previously to putting oft' their old shell, they appear sick, 
languid, and restless. They acquire an entirely new 
covering in a few days. 
THE CRAYFISH (Astacusfluiratilis,') 
May be called the lobster of fresh water, and its presence 
is generally esteemed an evidence of the goodness of the 
water. Crayfish are considered a very strengthening food. 
They are caught in shallow brooks, hid under large stones, 
out of which they crawl backwards to seek for their 
prey, which consists of small insects ; the hooks employed 
to catch them are baited with liver or flesh, which they 
nibble most greedily. 
