Transactions of the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences . round, pale, yellowish spots along each side of theback of the abdomen ; the telson and caudal appendages are hand-somely banded near the borders Avith black and white ; the legs arelight blue, whitish below. The decrease in the numbers of the large and voracious fishes, likethe groupers and rockfishes, would naturally have had a tendency tocause an increase in the number of lobsters, for those fishes andmany others depended upon the lobsters for a part of their , in a measure, has counteracted the effects of the lobster f
Transactions of the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences . round, pale, yellowish spots along each side of theback of the abdomen ; the telson and caudal appendages are hand-somely banded near the borders Avith black and white ; the legs arelight blue, whitish below. The decrease in the numbers of the large and voracious fishes, likethe groupers and rockfishes, would naturally have had a tendency tocause an increase in the number of lobsters, for those fishes andmany others depended upon the lobsters for a part of their , in a measure, has counteracted the effects of the lobster fisher-men. Owing to the absence of claws the Bermuda lobster is a vervhelpless and timid creature, depending for safety upon quicklyretreating into its holes on the apj^roach of an enemy. It has greatfear of the Octopus, which often captures it. d.— The Land Crabs. ( Gecarcinus lateralis Frem., etc.) Figure Land Crabs Avere mentioned by Capt. John Smith as veryabundant and injurious, As thick in their Burrows as conies in aWarren and doe much Figure 57.—Land Cral). {Gecarcinus lateraUs.) Complaints were also made that persons in digging them for baittrespassed on the lands of others and did much damage by digginglarge holes, so that an early law was p>assed to prevent that evil. A. E. Yerrlll—The Bermuda Islands. 707 No mention is made of its being used as food, except in one instance,by Capt. Smith (see under Whelk). This may, however, have beencommon in times of scarcity, for the land crabs are much eaten inthe West Indies, by the natives. This smaller land crab is still common enough in certain barrenand sandy localities, as at Tuckers Town, and especially on thesmaller uninhabited islands, wherever there is sandy soil, but it isevidently far less abundant than formerly. Piobably the introduc-tion of poultry was an important cause of this decrease, for turkeys,chickens, and other species will greedily devour the young adult crabs often make a
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1860, booksubjectscience, bookyear1866
