Fiddler- and Hermit- Crabs. 7 I 



somewhat menacing manner, which has been likened by some 

 to the pulling of a violin bow, and by others to the action of 

 beckoning or calling, and hence the names which have been 

 applied to these eccentric creatures. 



Have you a desire for a more intimate knowledge of the 

 animal, take him up by the big claw, and you can now 

 examine him without the least fear of incurring the proofs 

 of his displeasure. Two bead-like, compound eyes, sup- 

 ported on long stalks, which can be readily withdrawn into 

 the protecting shield of the carapace, will be observed. 

 From the manner of this support, which allows 'of vision in 

 almost every direction, the name of stalk-eyed crustaceans 

 has been given to the group in which this structure is found. 

 The two pairs of feelers, which you see in front of the eyes, 

 are known as antennae and antennules. They are of peculiar 

 interest, for, aside from acting as feelers, they subserve the 

 functions of smelling and hearing, the auditory apparatus 

 being lodged in the base of the smaller pair. There are ten 

 feet, and this is a character of importance, as it is a feature 

 distinctive of the ten-footed, or decapod, crustaceans. At 

 first sight it appears that the animal is devoid of a tail, but if 

 you turn him over upon his back you will find a very short 

 one tucked safely under the body. A comparison of our 

 study of this crab with that of the lobster or cray-fish will 

 show that the tail, or, more properly, the abdomen, is 

 stretched out beyond the body proper, and that the elonga- 

 tion is in proportion to the length of the animal. Two dis- 

 tinct groups of ten-legged, stalk-eyed crustaceans are thus 

 recognized, namely: the short-tailed forms, or crabs, and the 

 opposite, or long-tailed forms, to which the lobster and shrimp 

 belong, the hermit-crabs constituting an intermediate type. 



Two species of the Fiddler, considerably resembling each 

 other in color and ornamentation, are to be found upon our 

 Atlantic Coast. The more common form, Gelasimus vocator, 

 has a smooth, shining carapace, while that of Gelasimus 

 minax is finely granulated and in part tuberculated, the back 



