94 



Dwellers of the Sea and Shore 



a broken bottle neck and, more than once, in a remnant 

 of a crushed shell which being little more than a girdle 

 left his hind body as exposed as his head. Needless to 

 say, his investiture with these heterogeneous materials 

 reduces his capacity for defense, and exposes him to 

 perils ordinarily improbable were he to provide himself 

 with a more efficient form of protection. Could there 

 be a more utter want in the display of intelligence? Oh, 



HERMIT CRAB IN A BROKEN SHELL. THE DISINTEGRATING SHELLS THEY SOME- 

 TIMES USE LEAVE PORTIONS OF THEIR BODIES EXPOSED TO THE ATTACK OF 

 ENEMIES. 



for only a ray of reason ! The faintest gleam would 

 advance his welfare more in one brief moment than for 

 him perpetually to grope in the darkness of aborted 

 Instinct. 



Let us return to our wanderer. Having ensconced 

 himself in his recently acquired shell, he now leaves the 

 scene of the transfer in considerable haste. The truth 

 is, his movements betray an unwonted agitation. His 

 antennic jerk spasmodically, and his nimble crawl ac- 



