CRABS. 47 



by certain species. Our own experience, however, 

 strongly disposes lis to think that such nuts as from time 

 to time fall to the ground from ordinary causes, con- 

 stitute the prizes commonly appropriated by B. latro. 

 His enormously powerful and ponderous nippers enable 

 him to husk and rend these from their tenacious coat- 

 ings with surprising speed and facility ; and it is only 

 necessary to examine the cocoa-nut husks with the 

 nuts within them, as imported from abroad, to be con- 

 vinced that our nut-eating friend must be a veritable 

 crustacean Hercules, to be capable of such feats of 

 strength, as the dragging forth of the treasures from 

 their dense fibrous envelopes unquestionably are ; and 

 a Hercules he is in \\i~i own way, for the tenacious 

 wire-like network of cocoa fibre in Avhich the nut is 

 inclosed, is torn, split, and rent asunder, as though 

 with the iron pincers of a brawny blacksmith, until 

 the coveted dainty is set free. One end of every 

 common cocoa-nut has, as most of our readers are 

 aware, three holes in it ; these, from their position 

 and quaint resemblance to the face of a living creature, 

 are called the monkey's face. One of these holes is 

 selected as a point of attack, and a succession of 

 adroitly- delivered and heavy raps are rapidly given 

 with the large claw. An opening, or breach, is thus 

 very quickly effected. The narrow pair of nippers now- 

 come into operation, and by dexterously inserting them, 



