90 RAMBLES OF 



noises. It appeared as if numerous hard and heavy bo- 

 dies were trailed along the floor ; then they sounded as 

 if climbing- up by the chairs and other furniture, and fre- 

 quently something like a large stone would tumble down 

 from such elevations with a loud noise, followed by a pe- 

 culiar chirping note. What an effect this produced upon 

 entirely inexperienced strangers, may well be imagined 

 by those who have been suddenly waked up in the dark, 

 by some unaccountable noise in the room. Finally, these 

 invaders began to ascend the bed; but happily the mus- 

 quito bar was securely tucked under the bed all around, 

 and they were denied access, though their efforts and 

 tumbles to the floor produced no very comfortable reflec- 

 tions. Towards daylight they began to retire, and in 

 the morning no trace of any such visitants could be per- 

 ceived. On mentioning our troubles, we were told that 

 this nocturnal disturber was only Bernard the Hermit, 

 called generally the soldier crab, perhaps from the pecu- 

 liar habit he has of protecting his body by thrusting it 

 into an empty shell, which he afterwards carries about, 

 until he outgrows it, when it is relinquished for a larger. 

 Not choosing to pass another night quite so noisily, due 

 care was taken to exclude Monsieur Bernard, whose 

 knockings were thenceforward confined to the outside of 

 the house. I baited a large wire rat trap with some corn 

 meal, and placed it outside of the back door, and in the 

 morning, found it literally half filled with these crabs, 

 from the largest sized shell that could enter the trap, 



