160 THE CRAB CHANGES 



Looking at my Aquarium, I saw tliat the Soldier 

 was in a different Whelk-sliell from his own. Both 

 were surmounted, as I have said before, by the Para- 

 sitic Actinia, but a diversity in the colour of the ten- 

 tacles rendered these distinguishable from each other 

 at a glance. I shall call the Crab's own original 

 Whelk, No. 1, and the other No. 2. My curiosity 

 was excited, of course, and I sat down to watch. 

 The Crab kept fast hold of shell No. 1 , by placing his 

 walking feet within its aperture, all the time he was 

 within No. 2. Presently he slipped out his plump 

 posteriors from the new tenement, and in a moment 

 popped back into his old one, which was indeed the 

 larger of the two, and hobbled away. 



The next day I saw the attempt renewed, and this 

 time witnessed the procedure ab initio. The Soldier 

 on his rambles blundered on a third Whelk-shell 

 invested by the beautiful Adamsia, but untenanted. 

 This he seized, rolled over, and turned about in all 

 directions, feeling it in all parts, both within and 

 without. The Adamsia he seemed not to like, and 

 tried repeatedly to scrape it off the shell with his pin- 

 cers, labouring hard at the work, though ineffectually : 

 the rude operation appeared to produce little incon- 

 venience to the soft and delicate, but tough-skinned 

 Anemone, which, withdrawing its tentacles, and con- 

 tracting its body, offered a passive resistance to the 

 persecutor. At length he was satisfied that the shell 

 was much too small, and, relinquishing it, proceeded 

 on his travels. 



Presently he came to shell No. 2, that he had tried in 

 vain yesterday ; that essay, however, he had evidently 



