A JUNGLE BEACH 103 



the end of the brush. The crabs were worthy 

 tenants of such strange architecture, with com- 

 ical eyes twiddling on the end of their stalks, 

 and their white-mittened fists feinting and threat- 

 ening as I looked into their little dark rain or 

 tide-pools. 



I found three pockets on one wall, which 

 seemed as if they must have been "salted" for 

 my benefit; and in them, as elsewhere on my 

 beach, the two extremes of life met. The top- 

 most one, curiously enough, contained a small 

 crab, together with a large water-beetle at the 

 farther end. Both seemed rather self-conscious, 

 and there was no hint of fraternizing. The bee- 

 tle seemed to be merely existing until darkness, 

 when he could fly to more water and better com- 

 pany; and the crab appeared to be waiting for 

 the beetle to go. 



The next pocket was a long, narrow, horizontal 

 fold, and I hoped to find real excitement among 

 its aquatic folk; but to my surprise it had no 

 bottom, but was a deep chute or socket, opening 

 far below to the sand. However, this was not my 

 discovery, and I saw dimly a weird little head 

 looking up at me — a gecko lizard, which called 

 this crevice home and the crabs neighbors. I 



