BUCCINUM WHELK. 85 



quests of the Assyrian monarch. " And it shall 

 come to pass in that day that the Lord shall hiss 

 (or whistle) for the hee that is in the land of 

 Assyria. And they shall come, and shall rest all 

 of them in the desolate valleys, and in the holes 

 of the rock, and upon all thorns and upon all 

 bushes." Isa. vii. 18, 19. 



Various species of turbinated shells, chiefly of 

 the Buccinum or Whelk tribe, are picked up on 

 the shores of the Isle of Wight, and other parts 

 of our coasts. Instead of being tenanted by 

 their natural inhabitants, who love the deep re- 

 cesses of the ocean, they are occupied by a spe- 

 cies of Crab called the Bernard, or Hermit Crab. 

 This creature affords a curious instance of animal 

 instinct, whilst he exemplifies in a striking man- 

 ner the resources of a compensatory Providence. 

 The hinder part of his body is tender and naked, 

 unprotected by that shelly covering which guards 

 his head and anterior extremities ; he is therefore 

 peculiarly liable to injuries, but he is endowed 

 with a foresight that directs him most ingeniously 

 to provide against any accident : by insinuating 

 himself into the roomy cavity of some forsaken 

 Whelk : after wriggling himself into it, he 

 maintains his hold by means of a hooked claw, 

 which he fastens to any projection in the shell, 

 while his head and front claws hang out at the 

 aperture. Thus secure, this little crab continues 

 till increased in size he is compelled to abandon 

 his retreat and seek for a tenement of more 



