THE COCOS-NUT CRAB. 



(July 13, 1889.) 



AMONG the additions to the menagerie during the 

 m onth of June is a Cocos-nut crab Birgua latro 

 which was presented to the Society on the 14th of 

 the month, and is " new to the collection."' It is 

 officially described as from " India/' a vague, and 

 in our opinion, unsatisfactory, description of its 

 habitat. It can be seen in the Insect-house, 

 where it is kept in a large glass case. It is a land- 

 crab belonging to the same family Anomoura, 

 or irregular-tailed crabs as the hermit-crabs, a 

 family which forms the connecting link between the 

 crabs and lobsters. 



This species grows to a large size. The carapace 

 has been well described as being "somewhat in the 

 form of a reversed heart, with the apex pointing 

 forward." The first pair of legs are armed with 

 strong toothed pincers, or knob-claws, the left 

 being larger than the right ; the second and third 

 pairs terminate in single nails ; while the fourth 

 and fifth have pincers, but they are small and 

 very weak in fact, the fifth pair of legs may 

 almost be described as rudimentary. Its colour 

 is most peculiar, and was well described by a lady 



