A MEMBER of the cast of The Two Gentlemen of Verona is a dog called Crab. The only canine to appear in a Shakespearean play, Crab is a naughty dog. He steals a chicken and widdles on a lady's dress. His master, Lance, says: 'I think Crab, my dog, be the sourest-natured dog that lives.' It was in Shakespeare's time that bad-tempered people were first described as being crabby.
Real crabs can certainly appear rather grumpy. If you find one of these crustaceans at the beach hunkering in a rockpool, it will likely either scuttle away sideways and hide in some seaweed or stand its ground and brandish a pair of pinching claws at you, hoping you'll be scared enough to leave it alone. Get to know them, however, and there's a lot more to the 60 or so species of crabs that live around the British coast.
Among the most familiar and easily recognisable is the brown crab (Cancer pagurus) also known as the edible crab, with its chunky, oval-shaped shell and that distinctive crimped, pie-crust edge. They're the most important commercial species of crab in Europe, with more than 10,000 tons caught each year in the English Channel. Traps and pots used to catch them take advantage of the fact that, like many crabs, they are not fussy eaters and will feast on anything they find with their highly tuned sense of smell-mussels, clams, other crabs, live prey, dead carrion and the meat or fish scraps fishermen put inside their pots.
Edible crabs follow the trail of wafting scent through the water, climb inside the pots and tuck into the bait; usually, they're still there when the fisherman comes along and hauls the trap back up to the surface.
Edible crabs have a matching pair of stocky, black-tipped claws (technically called chela), which they use to crush their prey. Another common British crab, the shore crab (Carcinus maenas), has a more refined set of claw cutlery: one is sturdy, for smashing, the other slender, for deftly cutting into prey.
Denne historien er fra May 22, 2024-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra May 22, 2024-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
