106 VOYAGES OF A NATURALIST 



round one's hand and squeeze with a vice-like 

 grip. The huge claws are of prodigious strength, 

 and one of our sailors, who caught a small specimen, 

 had a piece of flesh cut clean out of the palm of 

 his hand by a single nip. The two crabs which we 

 secured were enclosed in a paraffin tin and brought 

 on board. Either these, or two others, which we 

 afterwards caught on Assumption Island, escaped 

 from the tin by tearing off a large piece near the 

 lid. After such an exhibition of strength, one can 

 more easily credit the accounts of the destruction 

 done to coconuts by these crabs. 



On our way back to the ship we fell in with 

 numbers of both kinds of turtles and several large 

 fishes, probably barracuda. Leaving our host at 

 Glorioso and boarding the " Valhalla," we shortly 

 afterwards steamed away, bound for Assumption. 



