TWO CITIZEN CRABS OF NONSUCH 



twiddled them inquiringly. At a touch they swiveled 

 down into ready-made troughs, all lined with a 

 circle of stiff eyewinkers or sweepers which, like our 

 own, clear the eye of sand or other debris. With us, 

 however, a proper eyelid slips down and over the 

 eye. In the case of my captive the entire crab became 

 momentarily the eyelid and winker and moved up 

 over the eye. 



For a minute my crab was motionless, then with 

 a mighty twist he somersaulted backward into free- 

 dom, leaving both great claws in my hand. His 

 second line of defense was played; he had relin- 

 quished his weapons to lighten his flight. Knowing 

 that in the end I should set him free, I was merciless 

 now and pounced upon him before he could scuttle 

 into his hole. I had nothing more to fear from his 

 pincers and turned him over and over, examining 

 every detail of his armor, while he lay motionless, 

 shamed by the theft of his sword and lance. Finally 

 I raised the infolded abdomen. This is a crab's most 

 vital of vital spots and when he felt his most vul- 

 nerable organs exposed he called upon a third, and 

 last, and wholly unexpected resource. From out of 

 some concealed gland there poured a black liquor, 

 such as locusts distill, but before it could spread, or 

 drop down, he began to send a stream of air into it 

 and it rose and rose, and from black became sepia, 

 then pale brown, then an iridescent tan reflecting 

 every hue of the spectrum. Still it increased until 

 the whole crab and my finger were wholly concealed 

 beneath a sphere of golden bubbles. I touched my 



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