_
THE-SEAï‘SHORE
"
is:the
.crab :(Plate1 1—6), Carcinus, of which
away from beneath-almost every stone we
_
examine; .…î Common also is
velvetrddler crab {Portumæ
puber), one of the largest of the Swimming crabe, & very
pugnaciou‘svbeast, _,aptly called by the
‘-‘ Le— Crabe Eragé.” also. a great varietyof smaller crabs
of varying shapes ,and:hahits,iar too. numerous tomention
‘
here.
Some spider
are; commor'ier
o’ shore and Will bedescribed “in the next chapter. _. _Ihe
curious little green -squatî—lbbster (Gdlaihea squamifem)_.may
be mentioned (Plate 'I4)-,; while occasionally-leit behind by
_
the tide near low-water mark (are small lobsters or edible
crabs (Plates 14 and 113).
provide one of the
quaintest and :.m0st .» characteristic members of the; shore
_
fauna.
Unlike the other cra-hs, they=have no shell covering
the tail reg‘idn but creèp—for protection within the empty
spiral shells of molluscs holding rme on to the central
column of the shell by means of Claw-like appendages at_
the hind end of the body.
They are able to shufe about
quite rapidly carrying the shell, which they cari,— however,
leave if they wish to, & procedure which becomes essential
_
as they .grow larger and have to —forsake the
shell .for "
another
size bigger. . The peculiar little sea spiders,
.
__
_
which have long legs and such thin bodies that the stomach
'
for
space has to penetrate the legs, are found under
stones.
Starsh are coïnmonly met with near lowèwater
especially the large red ASteM‘as mbens (Plate I I), and,
,
_
more
difcult to see; the little “ Cushion—star
”- Asterina
-
‘
gibbosa of a dull grey or greenish colour which lives on the
_
sides of rocks.
Both of these have ve arms but those of
the latter are much shorter relatively, and are united for
*
almost their entire length. .- Their relatives the sea urchins
’
especially the small green ,Echinus milikwis, which is a more
typical . shore form than the handsome
E.
esauâmtm