204 Mr. Brodei ip on the Habits of Paguri* 



It may not be unimportant hastily to trace the history of tlie remarka- 

 ble genus of crustaceous parasites, called Paguri, and afterwards to add 

 a few observations on them and on the other Crustacea mentioned in Mr. 

 De la Beche's letter. 



Aristotle describes three species of Paguri under the name KapdvLov.^ 

 Oppian, ^han, and Galen mention them under the name KapKivac. 

 Plinyf seems to confound them with the Pinnotheres or Pinnophylax, as 

 is noticed by Aldrovandus. Rondeletius, Bellonius, and Gesner describe 

 them ; the latter very particularly. Jonston's account is little more than 

 a compilation from the foregoing authors. Charlevoix, in the History of 

 Hispaniola,^ says, " Ce qu'on appelle soldat est, aussi-bien que les 

 " crabes, une espece d'^ecrevisse, ou de ce qu'on appelle cancellus mari- 

 " nus. On le trouve par tout le long de la mer, et il est bon a manger. 

 ** Son nom vient de ce qu'il est arme par tout le corps, excepte a I'ex- 

 «* tremite d'en bas, ou il est nud, et oix il paroit etre d'une sensibilite 

 " extreme; aussi se fourre-t-il, des qu'il est ne, dans la premiere coque, 

 " qu'il rencontre, mais pour Ten faire deloger, il ne faut qu'en approcher 

 " le feu." 



None of these writers speak of these animals as being at any time 

 terrestrial. 



In Labat we find the following passage :§ — " C'est une regie generale 



tide may lift them again into tbe sea. In July last, a friend sent me from 

 Brighton a beautiful group of Cirripeda, principally consisting of Pentelas- 

 mis Anatifera, which had attached themselves to a floating champagne bottle. 

 They arrived by the mail packed in a basket with hay, and with cabbage leaves 

 immediately over and under them. I received them about twelve o'clock in the 

 day; they were alive and I procured from the Adelphi baths some sea-water, in 

 which they were not placed till near four o'clock. At five I saw them in high 

 vigour, and was enabled to make some observations on their habits: a regular 

 supply of sea-water would I doubt not have kept them alive for some time. 

 Before they were put into the vessel of sea- water they must have been without 

 any moisture, save their own, for many hours. 



* The Pagurus of Aristotle is not a hermit-crab. 



t Nat. Hist. Lib. IX. cap. 31. 



X Tome. II. p. 23. 



§ Nouveau Voyage aux Isles de I'Amerique, Tome. II. p. 224. ed. 1742. 



