She screamed for assistance, but, instead of immediately
rendering it, the dealer and her companions around burst
out into a laugh, and it was some little time before the nose
of the lady could be released. The fishwoman, in her de-
fence, maintained that she was not to blame, and that the
mischief was solely caused by the imprudence of Madame
Grebuchet in applying her prominent feature so closely to
the lobster's claw, when she had been told that it was alive ;
and the Tribunal, taking the same view of the case, dis-
missed the complaint, and the plaintiff ordered to pay costs."

Crabs* — ^The crab is not so generally used as the lob-
ster, but it certainly is of a better flavor, if more trouble-
some to prepare. The middling size, when heavy, lively,
and with large claws, are considered the best and sweetest.
If light, they are poor and watery : when stale, the eyes
look dead and the claws hang down. The female is usually
thought inferior to the male, and she may be known by the
claws being smaller, and the flap, or apron, larger, which
appears on the white or under side.
In taking them up with the hand, catch them by the fla
fln or leg, behind, next to the body ; they then cannot reach
you with their large claws. They are in season from June
to January, and considered the most wholesome in the win-
ter or cold months. In the year 1817 an ordinance was
drafted prohibiting the sale of crabs in the public markets,
" from the 15th of December to the 1st of March in each
year," but afterwards rescinded.
304 THE ICABEET ASSXSTAIST.
