46 Historical Supplement

# ON CRABS

To the other species of crabs, we must add the Moluccan crab, so named because it was captured near the Moluccas islands. It was described by Clusius in his *Exotica* in the following manner: it possessed a highly polished, variegated shell which, when held up to the light, revealed a mixture of yellow and red colors. The carapace consisted of two parts, an anterior and a posterior, connected to one another by a kind of cartilage. The anterior part was shorter and narrower, being three inches long and four wide, while the posterior part was much larger—specifically, four and a half inches long and seven and a half wide. Each part rose up along the back like a vaulted arch, though the posterior part more so than the anterior; it was divided into three prominent sections covered with short, thorn-like spines. Similarly, where it connected to the anterior part, it was more prominent and armed with short spines, eventually dividing into crescent-shaped horns that reached as far as the long spines of the anterior section. These were jagged on both sides, ending in a firm spine, and were covered with rough bristles near the joint. In the middle of the shell, near the rounded sides of the back, certain protrusions were visible that almost resembled the shape of eyes, yet they were hard and shelly.

The anterior part of the shell, where it joined the posterior, was three inches wide, and four inches at its widest point; the outermost part was only two inches wide and ended in three short spines spaced equally apart. Near the middle spine, it had a triangular horn attached—not fixed to the outer shell, but joined by a hinge beneath the shell itself—which was seven inches long, narrow, and pointed. The upper angle on the underside of this spine was filled with short thorns like a saw, while its upper part was smooth and keel-shaped. The sides of the anterior part of the shell were marked with seven spines (in addition to the outermost one) which were firm, flat, an inch long, and liver-colored.

Clusius viewed the entire body of this animal when it was shriveled from dryness and nearly decayed with age; nevertheless, he observed that it had ten feet. It could not be determined whether the front ones had claws or not. The posterior feet were followed by tiny claws composed of three joints, with no traces of a head or tail appearing. However, that part of the shell from which the triangular, pointed horn originated was concave.

A certain hairiness of this crab recalled to mind a species of Heracleotic crab, the illustration of which was placed in my *History of Crustaceans*. It was called "Heracleotic" after the cities named Heraclea, one of which lies on the Black Sea and the other on the Propontis. This type of crab is covered with a shell that is neither very smooth nor very rough. Rondelet called it the "sea rooster," for no other reason than that the arms of this animal seem to be shaped like a rooster’s crest, as the reader can see in the illustrations already provided and those yet to be shown.

Similarly, Rondelet compares this animal to a four-legged bear because, when it huddles with its arms held against its eyes and mouth, it sleeps in the manner of a bear. Truly, however, this name better suits another species which Rondelet did not observe—one that rivals a bear's hide in the density of its hair. Indeed, in strength it surpasses the aforementioned Heracleotic crab. Thus, in the second book of *Crustaceans*, on the first page, was placed the illustration of the smooth Heracleotic crab, followed by the hairy one; therefore, either there are two species of the hairy type according to the illustrations found, or the illustration of the hairy one presented here was modeled after the likeness of the smooth one.

Moreover, in the Eastern regions, the power and size of crabs are so great that they are feared by men; for whatever they seize with their claws, they lop off instantly and devour immediately. This is not to be doubted, since trustworthy sailors recently navigating from India to Portugal affirmed this truth under oath.

There is also found in Virginia the *Seeccananc*, a type of shellfish related to crabs in its crustaceous tail, and because it is equipped with many feet like a crab, and has eyes protruding from its back emi-