1836.] STINGING CORALS. 



These crabs are very good to eat; moreover, under the tail of the 

 larger ones there is a great mass of fat, which, when melted, some- 

 times yields as much as a quart bottle full of limpid oil. It has 

 been stated by some authors that the Birgos crawls up the cocoa- 

 nut trees for the purpose of stealing the nuts : I very much doubt 

 the possibility of this ; but with the Pandanus * the task would be 

 very much easier. I was told by Mr. Liesk that on these islands 

 the Birgos lives only on the nuts which have fallen to the ground. 



Captain Moresby informs me that this crab inhabits the Chagos 

 and Seychelle groups, but not the neighbouring Maldiva archipelago. 

 It formerly abounded at Mauritius, but only a few small ones arc 

 now found there. In the Pacific, this species, or one with closely 

 allied habits, is saidt to inhabit a single coral island, north of the 

 Society group. To show the wonderful strength of the front pair 

 of pincers, I may mention, that Captain Moresby confined one in a 

 strong tin-box, which had held biscuits, the lid being secured with 

 wire; but the crab turned down the edges and escaped. In turn- 

 ing down the edges, it actually punched many small holes quite 

 through the tin ! 



I was a good deal surprised by finding two species of coral of the 

 genus Millepora (M. complanata and alcicornis), possessed of the 

 power of stinging. The stony branches or plates, when take a 

 fresh from the water, have a harsh feel and are not slimy, although 

 possessing a strong and disagreeable smell. The stinging property 

 seems to vary in different specimens : when a piece was pressed or 

 rubbed on the tender skin of the face or arm, a pricking sensation 

 was usually caused, which came on after the interval of a second, 

 and lasted only for a few minutes. One day, however, by merely 

 touching my face with one of the branches, pain was instan- 

 taneously caused ; it increased as usual after a few seconds, and 

 remaining sharp for some minutes, was perceptible for half an hour 

 afterwards. The sensation was as bad as that from a nettle, but 

 more like that caused by the Physalia or Portuguese man-of-war. 

 Little red spots were produced on the tender skin of the arm, 

 which appeared as if they would have formed watery pustules, but 

 did not. M. Quoy mentions this case of the Millepora ; and I have 

 heard of stinging corals in the West Indies. Many marine animals 

 seem to have this power of stinging : besides the Portuguese man- 



* Sec Proceedings of Zoological Society, 1832, p. 17. 

 t Tyerman and Bennett. Voyage, etc., vol. ii., p. 33. 



