A HISTORY OF 



cannot touch inni, aim tuns he tnrows it into 

 his bag. Sometimes also they are caught 

 when they take refuge at the bottom of holes, 

 in rocks by the sea-side, by clapping a slick 

 at the mouth of the hole, uliich prevents their 

 getting out ; and then soon after the tide 

 coming, enters the hole, and the animal is 

 found, upon its retiring, drowned in its retreat. 



These crabs are of considerable advantage 

 to the natives ; and the slaves very often feed 

 entirely upon them. In Jamaica, where they 

 are found in great plenty, they are considered 

 as one of the greatest delicacies of the place. 

 Yet still, the eating of them is attended with 

 some danger, for even of this kind many are 

 found poisonous, being fed, as it is thought, 

 upon the machined apple; and whenever they 

 are found under that noxious plant, they are 

 always rejected with caution. It is thus with 

 almost all the productions of those luxurious 

 climates ; however tempting they may be to 

 the appetite, they but too often are found de- 

 structive ; and scarce a delicacy among them 

 that does not carry its own alloy. 



The descent of these creatures for such im- 

 portant purposes, deserves or admiration ; 

 but there is an animal of the lobster kind that 

 annually descends from its mountains in like 

 manner, and for purposes still more important 

 and various. Its descent is not only to pro- 

 duce an offspring, but to provide itself a cover- 

 ing ; not only to secure a family, but to fur- 

 nish a house. The animal I mean is the 

 soldier-crab, which has some similitude to the 

 lobster, if divested of its shell. It is usually 

 about four inches long, has no shell behind, 

 but is covered down to the tail with a rough 

 skin, terminating in a point. It is, however, 

 armed with strong hard nippers before, like 

 the lobster ; and one of them is as thick as a 

 man's thumb, and pinches most powerfully. 

 It is, as 1 said, without a shell to any part ex- 

 cept its nippers ; but what nature has denied 

 this animal, it takes care to supply by art ; 

 and taking possession of the deserted shell of 

 some other animal, it resides in it, till, by 

 growing too large for its habitation, it is under 

 a necessity of change. It is a native of the 

 West India Islands ; and, like the former, it is 

 seen every year descending from the moun- 

 tains to the sea-shore, to deposite its spawn, 

 and to provide itself with a new shell. This 

 is a most bustling time with it, having so many 



things to do ; and, in fnct, very busy it appears. 

 It is very probable that its first care is to pro- 

 vide for its offspring before it attends to its 

 own wants : and it is thought, from the num- 

 ber of little shells which it is seen examining, 

 that it deposites its spaw,n in them, which thus 

 is placed in perfect security till the time of ex- 

 clusion. 



However this be, the soldier is in the end 

 by no means unmindful of itself. It is still seen 

 in its old shell, which it appears to have con 

 siflt rably outgrown ; for a part of the naked 

 body is seen at the mouth of it, which the 

 habitation is too small to hide. A shell, there- 

 fore, is to be found large enough to cover the 

 whole body ; and yet not so large as to be 

 unmanageable and unwieldy. To answer 

 both these ends it is no easy matter, nor the 

 attainment of a slight inquiry. The little 

 soldier is seen busily parading the shore along 

 that line of pebbles and shells that is formed by 

 the extremest wave ; still, however, dragging 

 its old incommodious habitation at its tail, un- 

 willing to part with one shell, even though a 

 troublesome appendage, till it can find another 

 more convenient. It is seen stopping at one 

 shell, turning it and passing it by, going on to 

 another, contemplating that for a while, and 

 then slipping its tail from its old habitation, to 

 try on the new. This also is found to be in- 

 convenient ; and it quickly returns to its old 

 shell again. In this manner it frequently 

 changes, till at last it finds one light, roomy, 

 and commodious ; to this it adheres, though 

 the shell be sometimes so large as to hide the 

 body of the animal, claws and all.' 



Yet it is not till after many trials, but many 

 combats also, that the soldier is thus com- 

 pletely equipped ; for there is often a contest 

 between two of them for some well-looking 

 favourite shell for which they are rivals. 

 They both endeavour to take possession ; 

 they strike with their claws, they bite each 

 other, till the weakest is obliged to yield, by 

 giving up the object of dispute. It is. then 

 that the victor immediately takes possession, 

 and parades it in his new conquest three or 

 four times back and forward upon the strand 

 before his envious antagonist. 



When this animal is taken, it sends forth a 

 feeble cry, endeavouring to seize the enemy 



Peru du Testre. 



