have described, Jim gave signs that he was about 

 to repeat the process of casting his crust. In his 

 normal habitat, the sea, it is not likely that he 

 would have molted so soon; for this is a growth 

 phenomenon, and the supply of food promoting 

 this end is not so abundant there as in my tanks. 

 Confined in the same quarters with Jim were sev- 

 eral other spider-crabs of varying sizes; however, 

 he was the smallest of the group. Now I have be- 

 fore observed that he was a good fighter; but the 

 time of molting is a period of weakness, and during 

 the night (probably at the precise time he slipped 

 out of his old armor, soft and defenseless) he was 

 set upon by the other inmates and nearly killed. 

 Three of his walking legs were torn from his body, 

 and one great claw was gone; but the most serious 

 injury he received was a huge rent in his carapace, 

 a deep gash on the under side in the region of the 

 brain. 



It was in this frightful condition that I found 

 him on the morning following the treacherous at- 

 tack. I was for despatching him at once. And as I 

 set about to prepare an anaesthetic for this pur- 

 pose, came the thought that by a different pro- 

 cedure other ends as well as those of mercy might 



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