‘Ss 
os 
22 
CANCER terreffris, Cuniculos fub terra agens. 
Nat. Hift. Jam. 
The LandCrab. 
HE Bahama Wands, as well as moft 
oe between the Tr opicks, abound 
with thefe animals; in fome places 
the ground being almoft covered 
with them: fo thick the 
~ out of their holes, that the earth 
feems to move as they crawl about. If any one has 
a ftick in their hand, they will not fuffer themfelves 
to be approached fo near as without it; and, if 
‘walking regardlefs among{ft them without any ss 
-in hand, they will approach you with menacing 
their holes, 
dike rabbets, in fandy lands, in fome of the moun- 
tainous iflands hey, in breeding time, annually 
-defcend the hills, in vaft numbers, to lay their eggs 
near the fea; whatever they meet with in their 
paflage they go over, never going afide, let houfes, 
‘churches, or what will, ftand in their way: they 
-have been known to enter in at a window, and on 
a bed, where people, who never before had {een any, 
were not a little furprifed. They are of various 
fizes, the largeft about fix inches wide: they walk 
fide-ways like the Sea Crab, and are fhaped like 
them; fome are black, fome yellow, fome red, 
and others variegated with red, white, and yellow, 
mixed. Some of thefe, as well as the Fith of this 
country, are poifonous; of which feveral people 
have died, particularly of the black kind. The 
eckoned beft, and when full in 
In fome of the Sugar 
Iflands they are eat without danger; and are no 
{mall help to the negro flaves, who on many of the 
iflands would fare very hard without them. They 
feed on vegetables, 
Volt. aa 
Crabe de Terre. 
e refque 
at fe ferrés, belie ils fortent de 
terre fe remue a 
rien 
oe menacans, &S t mine de vous nas 
en tenant une de leurs ae élevée. dls font 
es lapins, 
dans Bo unes des iles m 
ans au printemps ils de, re des collines en grand 
nombre, pour aller pondre leurs ceufs proche de la Mer : 
Ou aes ens, qui 
pas peu Jurpris. 
les plus grands font larges d’ env 
marchent de cote comme les cancres de Mer 
fa aits de méme: il y ena 
8, de bigarrés de rouge, de blanc, & de jaune 
a, enfemble. Quelques unes de ces ree comme 
les Poiffons de ce pays, font venimeufes ; plufieurs 
perfonnes en font mortes: furtout les ad Jont 
dangereufes. Celles dont les couleurs font claires, font 
imées les meilleures 5 ; & lors qu'elles font bien pleines, 
a 
pas un 
cela feroient 
Elles fe 
a 
petit fecours pour les ui fans 
mauvaife chere dans la ON aitirt e ces iles, 
nourriffent de plantes. 
Tapia trifola fructu mayore oblongo. 
HIS ufually grows but to a fmall tree of about twenty 
feet high, and the body about eight or ten inches diameter: 
‘the leaves are > trifoliate, hanging oppofite to each other on long 
alks ; very long ftalks, ee are oO 
fize p Spanifh Olives, and of a yellow colour, 
inclofing a ftone tee that of : Plumb. Of thefe ap amongft 
many others, thefe Crabs feed 
Jont ae ie a ee au 
CF i eet ne croit geainaivemens qua @ la bauteur de vingt pids 
in tronc Wa que x p es feuilles 
ne ees e jt vie vis les unes 
des autres Jur de long : le fruit pend 
eft de la méme erafeur te cabs er ob Epa: agne, », de couleur jaune, 
renferme un noyau femblable a celui d’une prune. Les crabes 
fe Sat de ces fruits, comme de plufeurs autres. 
