666 



A HISTORY OF 



tion produces a difference in its habitudes, 

 which it is proper to describe. The Land 

 Crab is found in some of the warmer regions of 

 Europe, and in great abundance in all the tro- 

 pical climates in Africa and America. They 

 are of various kinds, and endued with various 

 properties; some being healthful, delicious, 

 and nourishing food ; others, poisonous or 

 malignant to the last degree ; some are not 

 above half an inch broad, others are found a 

 foot over; some are of a dirty brown, and 

 others beautifully mottled. That animal call- 

 ed the Violet Crab of the Carribbee Island, 

 is the most noted both for the shape, the de- 

 licacy of its flesh, and the singularity of its 

 manners. The violet crab somewhat resem- 

 bles two hands cut through the middle and 

 joined together; for each side looks like four 

 fingers, and the two nippers or claws resem- 

 ble the thumbs. All the rest of the body is 

 covered with a shell as large as a man's hand 

 and bunched in the middle, on the fore-part 

 of which there are two long eyes of the size 

 of a grain of barley, as transparent as crystal, 

 and as hard as horn. A little below these is 

 the mouth, covered with a sort of barbs, un- 

 der which there are two broad sharp teeth 

 as white as snow. They are not placed, as 

 in other animals, crossways, but in the oppo- 

 site direction, not much unlike the blades of 

 a pair of scissors. With these teeth they can 

 easily cut leaves, fruits, and rotten wood, 

 which is their usual food. But their princi- 

 pal instruments for cutting and seizing their 

 food is their nippers, which catch such a hold, 

 that the animal loses the limb sooner than its 

 grasp, and is often seen scampering off, ha- 

 ving left its claws still holding fast upon the 

 enemy. The faithful claw seems to perform 

 its duty, and keeps for above a minute fasten- 

 ed upon the finger while the crab is making 

 off!" In fict, it loses no great matter by leav- 

 ing a leg or an arm, for they soon grow again, 

 and the animal is found as perfect as be- 

 fore. 



This, however, is the least surprising part 

 of this creature's history; and what I am go- 

 ing to relate, were it not as well known and 

 as confidently confirmed as any other circum- 

 stance in natural history, it might well stag- 



Brown's Jamaica, p. 423. 



ger our belief. These animals live not only 

 in a kind of orderly society in their retreats 

 in the mountains, but regularly once a year 

 march down to the sea-side in a body of some 

 millions at a time. As they multiply in great 

 numbers, they choose the months of April or 

 May to begin their expedition ; and then they 

 sally out by thousands from the stumps of hol- 

 low trees, from the clefts of the rocks, and 

 from the holes which they dig for themselves 

 under the surface of the earth. At that time 

 the whole ground is covered with this band 

 of adventurers ; there is no setting down one's 

 foot without treading upon them. b The sea 

 is their place of destination, and to that they 

 direct their march with right-lined precision. 

 No geometrician could send them to their de- 

 stined station by a shorter course; they nei- 

 ther turn to the right nor left, whatever ob- 

 stacles intervene ; and even if they meet with 

 a house, they will attempt to scale the walls 

 to keep the unbroken tenor of their way. But 

 though this be the general order of their 

 route, they upon other occasions are compel- 

 led to conform to the face of the country ; and 

 if it be intersected by rivers, they are then 

 seen to wind along the course of the stream. 

 The procession sets forward from the moun- 

 tains with the regularity of an army, under the 

 guidance of an experienced commander. 

 They are commonly divided into three bat- 

 talions; of which, the first consists of the 

 strongest and boldest males, that, like pio- 

 neers, march forward to clear the route and 

 face the greatest dangers. These are often 

 obliged to halt for want of rain, and go into 

 the most convenient encampment till the wea- 

 ther changes. The main body of the army 

 is composed of females, which never leave the 

 mountains till the rain is set in for some time, 

 and then descend in regular battalia, being 

 formed into columns of fifty paces broad and 

 three miles deep, and so close that they almost 

 cover the ground. Three or four days after 

 this the rear-guard follows; a straggling, un- 

 disciplined tribe, consisting of males and fe- 

 males, but neither so robust nor so numerous 

 as the former. The night is their chief time 

 of proceeding; but if it rains by day, they do 

 not fail to profit by the occasion ; and they 



b Lebat. Voyage aux Isle Francoises, vol. ii. p. 2^1. 



