108 
ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 
being folded up and concealed within the gill 
or branchial chambers. 
Passing to those crabs that dwell in fresh 
water we find one of the commonest is the 
South European river-crab, a species found 
in considerable numbers amidst the muddy 
banks of Lake Albano, and also in the vicinity 
of Rome, in which city it forms a popular 
dish. Some members of the group, however, 
forsake the water for the greater part of their 
time and lead a terrestrial fife; but these 
must not be confused with the true land-crabs, 
of which numerous examples are to be met 
with in tropical regions. 
Of the latter, one of the best known is the 
Countryman crab (Gecarcinus ruricola ), found 
in Jamaica. It resides in the neighbourhood 
of the sugar-cane plantations, and is stated 
to be very fond of feeding upon the juice from 
the cane, doing a considerable amount of 
damage and destroying numbers of young 
plants by eating the growing shoots. 
Land-crabs travel for considerable distances, 
and are usually found about two or three 
miles from the coast. During the spring 
months the females lay their eggs in the sea, 
the whole colony forsaking their inland retreats 
and making for the shore. At times the 
migrating crustaceans are so numerous as to 
