ZOOLOGY. 27 



Tribe ANOMURA. 



Family Paguridse. 

 Cenobita rugosa, HerLst. 



,, SPIXOSA. 



* ,, CLITEATA. 



* ,, oLrriEKi. 



How these crabs swaiTa on the Nicobars may be Judged from the foHowing 

 account by Mr. Hume of what he saw on binding in Gahitea Bay. " Tlio wliolo 

 beach was coated with a hiyer of dead shells, and every other shell, big and little, 

 contained a ' hermit crab.' Those crabs were of all sizes — there were millions of 

 them — their numbers were alike incredible and l)ewildenng ; from the water's edge 

 well into the jungle and in and about every hole and cranny in all the outermost 

 trees, up to the hi'ight of at least 20 feet, it was Crabs, Crabs, Crabs. A few of 

 Diogenes and Pagurides at the water's edge, but practically all of them Cenohitas. 

 Olicieri, a bright scarlet, brighter than that of any boiled lobster, llugosa, a beautiful 

 purple, and Chjpeaia, mauve, with a blue or brown spot on the big claw. I was 

 perfectly fascinated with these crabs, their omnipresence to begin with was over- 

 whelming. They were so amusing, everywhere were little breakfast parties. A 

 great Barringtonia fruit as a piece de resistance, surrounded by a small family circle, 

 individuids of all sizes, all eating away as if their lives de])endcd on getting down 

 the greatest quantity in the smallest possible time. Between my very feet as I 

 stood motionless, watching the busy crowd, a large red fellow came along in a most 

 disreputable shell clearly too small for him, and meeting a small purple chap in an 

 eminently desirable residence, he pounced upon him and had him out of it in a 

 jiffy, and slipped into it himself, while the evicted tenant had in another minute 

 suited himself with a new abode, and straightway toddled off as lively as if nothing 

 had happened. Now how did this big crab get the smaller one out '? Yov, may haul 

 away from the outside and pull the things to pieces, you can never get him out, and 

 I want to know how the other crab managed it? If you have a lighted cheroot 

 the thing is easy. You apply the lighted extremity to the upper end of the shell and 

 pull vigorously. The crab begins to show signs of uneasiness, he looks out and feels 

 about with his claws, sees something hideous (yourself), concludes that the sun is 

 rather hot, and retreats to continue his siesta. After another minute or so he decides 

 that the sun is really getting unbearably hut, and that ho will go off and finish his 

 nap in the shade. Out again come the claws and legs. ' Hullo,' he says, ' nothing 

 to be touched ; very odd this; something up,' and pops back again. Then you bend 

 slowly down till tho shell just touches the beach, and by this time he has come to 

 the conclusion that his house is certainly on fire, and he scuttles away shell-less, 

 dragging his slug-like posterior extremity after him without much difficulty for 

 about a yard, after which ho sits down, having wriggled his tail between some stones 

 and shells, to consider the position of affairs ; presently legs and claws are all 

 extended, feeling here, there and everywhere for a shell, then a shell is drawn 

 nearer, closely examined and rejected, then another and another, but none suit, and 

 he tbags himself away another foot, and as usual immediately collapses and remains 

 motionless in a doubled-up position for a minute before ho resumes his search for 

 a suitable lodging. At last Eui'eka, he has pleased himself, he places the shell 

 conveniently, turns round and pops in." — Stray Feathers, vol. ii. p. 75. 



*BiEGns LATEO. Loach. 



The great Cocoa-nut Crab. 



According to Mr. Gumming this species foods on the fruits of the Fandanw, as 

 well as the cocoa-nut, and is prized as food by the natives of the South Pacific 

 Islands. 



In the Nicobars, however, it is very different, and a Nicobar man would as soon 

 think of eating his grandmother as one of these crabs. The following is Mr. Hume's 

 description of the capture of a specimen of this crab on Meroe, one of the Nicobar 

 group, and the circumstance which led to it. " It had been a very trying day, every 



