THE CRAB. 89 



KEELING ISLAND. 



dry land, and grows to a monstrous size. The front pair of 

 legs end in very strong and heavy pincers, and the last pair 

 are fitted with others weaker and much narrower. It would 

 at first be thought quite impossible for a crab to open a 

 strong cocoa-nut covered with the husk; but Mr. Liesk as- 

 sures me that he has repeatedly seen this done. The crab 

 begins by tearing the husk, fibre by fibre, and always from 

 that end under which the three eye-holes are situated; when 

 this is completed, the crab commences hammering with its 

 heavy claws on one of the eye-holes till an opening is made. 

 Then, turning round its body, by the aid of its narrow pin- 

 cers behind it draws out the white meat. I think this is 

 as curious a case of instinct as I ever heard of, and likewise 

 of adaptation in structure between two objects apparently 

 so unconnected by nature as a crab and a cocoa-nut tree. 

 These crabs inhabit deep burrows, which they hollow out 

 beneath the roots of trees, and where they accumulate sur- 

 prising quantities of the picked fibres of the cocoa-nut husk, 

 on which they rest as on a bed. They are very good to eat ; 

 moreover, under the tail of the larger ones there is a great 

 mass of fat, which, when melted, sometimes yields as much 

 as a quart bottle full of clear oil. To show the wonderful 

 strength of the front pair of pincers, I may mention that 

 Captain Moresby shut one up 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 turning down the 

 edges it actually punched many small holes quite through 

 the tin. 



