THE HERMIT CRABS. 779 



ground color of the body is vermilion, the granules and spines being generally of a deep blue or 

 purple ; the entire carapax is covered with minute bristles. According to Dr. William Rtimpson, 

 who wrote concerning this Crab in 1857, specimens of this species then readily sold in the San 

 Francisco market for five and ten dollars each. A certain demand for them still continues, but 

 they are apparently brought to market only occasionally. 



THE SAND BUG HIPPA TALPOIDA, Say. 



This is rather an odd species of Crab, related to the Hermit Crabs, from which, however, it 

 differs greatly in appearance. The body is oval in outline and more than half as broad as long, 

 the sides forming a nearly regular curve. The upper part of the body, formed mostly of the 

 cephalo-thorax, is convex and rather plain, giving a decidedly bug-like appearance to the 

 creature, as suggested by its common name. The tail, which is long and broad, is pressed up 

 against the under surface of the body, reaching nearly to the front. The eyes are minute and 

 placed at the ends of long, slender peduncles; the principal antennae are about as long as the 

 carapax, and are curved and strongly plumose. 



"This species burrows like a tnole, head first, instead of backward. It can also swim quite 

 actively, and is sometimes found swimming about in the pools left on the flats at low water. It 

 is occasionally dug out of the sand at low-water mark, and is often thrown up by the waves on 

 sand-beaches, but it seems to live in shallow water on sandy bottoms in great numbers, for in 

 seining on one of the sand-beaches near Wood's Holl for small fishes, a large quantity of this 

 species was taken. Its color is yellowish-white, tinged with purple on the back. It is one of the 

 favorite articles of food of many fishes. Mr. Smith found the young abundant at Fire Island, 

 near high water, burrowing in the sand. This species is still more abundant farther south." 1 



The Sand Bug ranges from Cape Cod to Florida, but is much more abundant toward the 

 South than at the North. On the New Jersey coast, and probably at other places farther south, it 

 is used by the fishermen as bait. It is frequently called by them the " Bait Bug." 



THE HERMIT CRABS EUPAGURUS POLLICARIS, Stimpsou; ETJPAGURTJS BERNHARDXJS, Brandt; 



EuPAPrtrRUS LONGICARPUS, StimpSOU; AND ALLIED SPECIES. 



There are numerous species of Hermit Crabs living upon our coast, in all depths from the 

 shore down to several hundred fathoms. Three species which are of large enough size to be 

 considered as desirable for bait occur, however, in localities where they might be easily taken by 

 the fishermen. One of the species, Eitpagurus bernkardus, is frequently used for that purpose in 

 England, and could as well lie. utilized here. The other two species, living in shallow water, are 

 E. pollicarift and E. longicarpus. E. bernkardiis ranges from Cape Cod northward, and from 

 low-water mark to depths of fifty fathoms and more. E. poll! car is ranges from Massachusetts to 

 Florida, and occurs at low-water mark, but is more abundant on the rocky and shelly bottoms of 

 the bays and sounds, and upon oyster-beds. E. longicarpus ranges from Massachusetts Bay to 

 the Gulf of Mexico, and from between tide levels to a depth of ten fathoms. 



The Hermit Crabs protect the hinder, soft portion of their bodies in any empty Gasteropod 

 shell of sufficient size which is obtainable, carrying this shell upon their back. They move about 

 very actively and are very pugnacious. Their savage dispositions toward each other has earned 

 for them, in England, the name of "Soldier Crabs," but both in Europe and this country they are 

 generally termed " Hermits." 



1 VEEBILL : Vineyard Sound Report, p. 339, 1871-'72. 



