Are a delectable shellfish. In this country we use for food two kinds, the hard shell blue crab which periodically sheds its shell, thus giving us the "soft shell crab" and the oyster crab. The male crab has a long white, narrow tail turned round its under part, the female has a broad brownish, feathery tail. The centre of the body is filled with its liver, which is a soft yellow substance. The meat used is obtained from the inner top of the back, and the claws. Crab meat is tasty but comparatively poor in nutriment and very hard to digest. There is one firm in this country "McMenamin of Hampton, Virginia," who for years past have made a specialty of putting up fresh cooked crab meat in cans, supplying with each can a sufficient number of shells to hold the amount of meat. They are obtainable of leading grocers everywhere, and from personal experience of their use, the author can say that he has found their crab meat give perfect satisfaction to hotel patrons.

Crab Cakes

Cooked crab meat four parts, fresh bread crumbs one part, mixed and seasoned with salt, nutmeg, red pepper, and chopped parsley, and bound with raw egg yolks; made into cakes like "codfish cakes" then breaded and fried; served with cream or Hol-landaise sauces.

Crab Toast

Cooked crab meat sauteed with butter, seasoned with salt, nutmeg and red pepper; served piled high on slices of hot buttered toast.

Buttered Crab

Cooked crab meat cut small, two parts; fresh bread crumbs, one part; mixed and seasoned with a little chopped parsley, salt, red pepper, nutmeg, caper vinegar and melted butter, then packed into crab shells, sprinkled with bread crumbs, then melted butter, browned in hot oven and served.

Crab Sausages

Cooked crab meat seasoned with chervil, a suspicion of garlic, salt, red pepper and minced chives, the whole pounded, rubbed through a sieve, bound with raw yolks of eggs, formed into shapes of sausages, rolled in flour, fried a delicate brown with butter; served with tartar sauce.

Crab Fritters

Cooked crab meat finely minced, mixed with a little minced fried onion, a suspicion of garlic, seasoned with salt, pepper, nutmeg, dry mustard, Worcestershire sauce and chopped parsley, all boiled down in a Veloute sauce till thick; then is worked in a few beaten egg yolks, removed and poured into a buttered pan and allowed to become cold; then cut in finger slices, dipped into a thin frying batter, fried; served with tartar sauce.

Crab Canapes

Minced cooked crab meat mixed with a little finely minced fried shallots, seasoned with salt, red pepper and grated Parmesan cheese, boiled down thick with a rich Veloute sauce, allowed to cool, then spread on fancy shapes of toast, the meat then strewn with grated cheese, browned off in hot oven and served.

Crab Omelet

The preceding mixture while still hot enclosed in centre of omelet; served with Veloute sauce poured around.