198 THE LIFE OF CRUSTACEA 



by some observers, that Birgus does not climb 

 trees. 



In localities where coconut palms abound, Birgus 

 feeds largely on the nuts, tearing off the fibrous outer 

 husk and breaking open the shell by hammering 

 with its powerful claws at one of the " eye-holes." 

 According to Darwin in his " Naturalist's Voyage," 

 the pincers of the penultimate pair of legs are used 

 for extracting the contents of the nut, but this 

 observation does not seem to have been confirmed. 

 In spite of its name of " Coconut Crab," however, 

 Birgus by no means feeds exclusively on coconuts. 

 On Christmas Island, where until recently there 

 were no coconut palms, the Crabs are exceedingly 

 abundant, and, according to Dr. Andrews, they " eat 

 fruits, the pith of the sago-palm and the screw-pines, 

 dead rats and other carrion, and any of their fellows 

 that may have been injured. . . . They are excellent 

 scavengers, and have a curious habit of often drag- 

 ging their food long distances before attempting to 

 eat it. I have seen a Crab laboriously pulling a 

 bird's wing up the first inland cliff, half a mile or 

 more from the camp whence it had stolen it." 



Large specimens of the Robber Crab may be at 

 least a foot in length of body when the abdomen is 

 straightened out. Their great strength is illustrated 

 by the fact, related by Darwin, that specimens 

 placed in'a strong biscuit-tin, of which the lid was 

 secured by wire, escaped by turning down the edges 



