Musæum regalis societatis, or, A catalogue and description of the natural and artificial rarities belonging to the Royal Society and preserved at Gresham Colledge made by Nehemiah Grew ; whereunto is subjoyned The comparative anatomy of stomachs and guts by the same author.

CHAP. IV. OF EXANGUIOUS FISHES.

THe Rough HORNED-LOBSTER. Given by Dr. Tho∣mas Allen. I call it so, from the many pointed knobs which he hath all over his Back. Squilla Crangone. De∣scribed by Rondeletius. See also the figure hereof in Gesner, p. 1099.

This fish, instead of the Plates on the Tail of a common Lobster, hath so many Fins, which for the far greater part of them are naked, or without a Crust upon them.

All Lobsters use their Tails, as Fins, wherewith they commonly swim backward by Jirks or Springs; reaching sometimes ten yards at a Spring. For which purpose, whereas the Gill-Fins of other fishes, which are their Oars, are a little Concave backward; these have the Plates of their Tails when they bend them down, as they use to do, a little Concave forwards.

Another HORNED-LOBSTER with a smoother Back. These fishes are the most pleasant meat of all the Crustaci∣ous kind; except perhaps the Punger.

A CLAW of the GREAT LOBSTER. Astacus Leo. 'Tis above a foot long, and a foot and three inches round the middle. So that, ratably, the Lobster it self must have been about a yard in length.

TWO more of the same, a little lesser.

The CLAW perhaps of a rare sort of CAMARUS, with the inner Joynt forked.

The MOLUCCA-CRAB. Cancer Molucensis. The best figure hereof is given by Besler, who alone shews the Eyes; yet not so clearly as could be wished. Not ill de∣scribed by Joh. de Laet. That which Clusius makes to be the fore part, he makes the hinder: and Wormius doth the like; and saith, it is plain, from the position of the Legs; With both whom I agree. And to what Wormius saith, I also add, the position of the Eyes; for from Clusius's Description, it would follow, that they stood in the hinder part of the Crab. Here are eight or nine of them; the entirest and largest, given by Henry Whistler Esq.

The Eye of this Crab, hath a horny Cover. But stands almost flat, or in the same plain with the rest of the shell. 'Tis pleasant to look on, being latticed like the Eye of a Butterfly. The latticed-work is discernable to a naked Eye, but much better through a Glass.

The People a that live near the River Chovacoêl in Nova Francia, pile their Shafts with the Tails of this Crab, which breeds there abundantly.

The CLAW of the PUNGER, or the VELVET-CRAB, called Pagurus. It is one of the biggest sort; and the best meat of any. Linschoten reports, That some (but he saith not of what kind) in India, have been found so big, that whensoever they got any man with in their Claws, it cost him his life.

The PRICKLED-CRAB. Hippocarcinus, or Cancer asper, because of the Spikes that grow upon his Back. They breed near Norway.

Another with a great number of Center-shells growing upon its Back.

It is noted by Aristotle, b That all Lobsters and Crabs have their Right Claw, the greater and stronger. Crabs have no Tail, nor need it, saith the same Author, c as Lobsters do to swim with; because they live much upon the Land.

CRABS-EYES. Oculi Cancrorum. A Crustaceous-stone so called, growing as is commonly (but I doubt falsly) said, in River Crabs. Especially, saith Cerutus, d in the Female, at that time, when the new shell begins to grow.

Both the Powder and the Magistery of Crabs-Eyes; and the Claws, and Distilled-Water of Crabs, are all used in Medicine.

The NAKED-SHRIMP, commonly called The Souldier-Crab. Cancellus. Here are two of them housed; one in a Sea-Snail-shell; the other in that of a common Wilk. It is accurately described by Aristotle. a His fore part is armed with crustaceous Plates, as the Lobster, but rather resembles the Shrimp. His hinder part is naked, or without a Crust: from whence I take leave for the Name: Neither the usual English Name, nor the Greek, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 (according to which the Latin) being sutable to the shape of this Animal, a quite different kind from a Crab.

Two NAKED-SHRIMPS unhoused, or without a shell.

This Animal, because his hinder part is naked, always houses himself in some empty shell, or other capable Body. When he hath filled one shell with Excrements, saith Bello∣nius, or grows too big for it, saith Aristotle, he transplants himself to another. Those that house themselves in the shell of the little long Wilk, or the Purple-Wilk, are called Little Souldier-Crabs, those in the great Wilk-shell, the Great Souldier-Crab: and so, if in other shells of like bigness.

The INMATE-CRAB. Pinnophylax. Because it is said to watch for the Prey, and to give notice to the Pinna when to apprehend it. 'Tis shaped like a Crab; but seldom grows bigger than a Chesnut. They are of a lovely white, and some with rays of a light Red or Pinck-colour. One difference betwixt the Cancellus and this, is, That that always chooses an empty shell, this hospitates with the living Animal in the same shell. He cohabits not only with the Pinna, but also the Muscle, Oyster, and Scallop.

The PREKE or POULPS. Polypus. See the Description in Rondeletius and others. 'Tis a Naked-Fish, having eight Fingers or Arms spread out almost like the Rays of a Star-Fish, and the Mouth in a manner in the middle of them. Their Arms serve them both to swim with, and to Attaque the Prey. When they are pursu'd by a fish, they presently cast forth a black Liquor, which they have always ready in a Bag, and wherewith they darken the water, and so make their escape. Being boiled with Wine and Spices, they are, saith Moufet, b a very excellent meat.

The SMOOTH STAR-FISH or SEA-PAD. Stella

marina laevior. It was sent from the East-Indies. I find it not described. When alive, it is of a flesh-colour. It hath five Arms or Rays, each an inch broad, and proportion∣ably very long, sc. above five inches; the Trunk being not above an inch and ½ Diameter. The upper or convex side is wrought all over with very little lenticular knobs, almost like a Chamaeleon's Skin; with small Concavities interjected, like those in Poppy-seed. Underneath, each Arm is furrow'd, the Margins of the Furrows being set with a kind of curious Fring. The Margins of the Arms wrought with Lenticular eminencies set in a straight Row, and besprinkled as it were with little Century-seed.

All Stars have their Mouths in the middle underneath, as the Sea-Urchin. They feed upon Shell-fish. And seem, saith Rondeletius, to have no other passage for their Excre∣ments, but their Mouths. Whereof I much doubt. They take the Prey, as the Polypus, and swim very swiftly, by stretching out or contracting their Arms at their plea∣sure.

The BRANCHED STAR-FISH. Stella marina arbores∣cens. A rare kind. It was taken in the Bay of Mastachuset in New-England. See the Descrisption hereof in Rondeletius, and out of him in Wormius. As also in the Philosophical Trans. a under the Title of Piscis Echinostellaris Visci∣formis. Before I had perused these, I had drawn up a Description of my own, which I will take leave to subjoyn. It is above a foot Diametre. The Mouth, in the middle, is divided into five Lips. The figure both of this and of the Trunk or Body is pentangular. The Diametre of the Trunk almost three inches. The sides grow thin from the Mouth to their Edges, which are so many exact Hyper∣bola's.

From the five Corners of the Trunk, as many Branches being produced, are presently each divided into two others, about an inch in compass; round, but by a double Row of little knobs, seeming to be square. Each of these, are again subdivided into lesser and lesser Branches. The last whereof, are scarce thicker than a Horse-Hair. In number, by a moderate estimate, above a Thousand.

As he swims, he spreads and stretches out all his Branches to their full length; but so soon as he perceives the Prey

within his reach, he hooks them all in, and so takes it as it were in a Net.

The PRICKLED STAR-FISH. Stella marina hirsuta. Perhaps Rondeletius's Pectinata prima. It hath five Arms, each Arm pointed, and also slender or narrowed next the Trunk, but spread in the middle. Two inches and ¼ long; the Trunk it self not above ½ an inch Diametre. The upper part hath a rough shag of short Prickles; the other, of longer: where also the Arms are furrow'd. These innu∣merable Prickles upon their Arms, are all movable, as in the Sea-Hedg-Hog.

Three more PRICKLED STAR-FISHES; which indifferently answer the second, third, and fourth of Ron∣deletius.

The CROWN'D-STAR-FISH. Stella marina Coronalis. It was taken in the Danish-Sea. I meet not with the De∣scription any where. 'Tis a little One. It hath five short Arms, bluntly pointed, about two inches long. The Trunk two inches and ••/•• over, the five Sides whereof are Hyperbolick. The upper part rises up like a Crown, adorned with round Knobs of the bigness of a green Peas, with other little ones, on both sides like Pins heads, ranged into five even Rows from the ends of the Arms to the top of the Star; in some sort, as precious Stones are set upon a Royal Crown: from whence I have named it. The spaces also between them are beset with little knobs. The edges of the Arms and Sides are in like manner set round about with lesser upon greater. Underneath, the furrows of the five Arms meet in the middle, paved with little Stones almost like Teeth; the broad Margins, with other round knobs or stones.

These Stones, are in colour, substance, and nature con∣generous, with those which are commonly called Crabs-Eyes.

The HIGH-CROWN'D STAR-FISH. It differs from the former, in being much taller, and in having no Knobs, but only Spikes, the one half whereof are ranged into certain correspondent Orders.

A FLAT SPIKED STAR-FISH, taken in the German Ocean.

Little STAR-FISHES with five Arms, taken in the British Seas.

A STAR-FISH with six Rays or Arms. They are almost like those of the smooth Star-Fish; excepting, that two of them are as short again as the rest. Whether a monstrous Production, or a distinct Species, I cannot say.

A STAR-FISH with TWELVE RAYS; by some called Sun-Fish. 'Twas taken in the British-Sea. The Basis of each Ray is much slenderer than by the figure in Johnston is represented. Neither is it shag'd only on the edges, as in the same figure, but all over.

Notes

• a

  J. de Laet. l. 2.
• b

  De Part. Anim. lib. 4. c. 8.
• c

  Ibid.
• d

  Mus. Calceol. Sect. 1.
• a

  Hist. An. lib. 4. c. 4.
• b

  Lib. de Re Cibariâ.
• a

  Num. 57.