178 OTHEK ANIMALS 



POETIC JUSTICE? 



Your account in the Spectator of November 21 of the 

 warfare between the inhabitants of the sea reminds me 

 of a curious scene I witnessed some thirty years ago at 

 the Brighton Aquarium. I was watching some young 

 herrings swimming about close to the bottom of the tank, 

 when the claw of a hermit crab suddenly shot out and 

 caught one, and the owner of the claw proceeded to 

 commence his meal. The capture had, however, been 

 seen by another hermit crab, who at once claimed a share, 

 and a most amusing chase commenced, the two dodging 

 each other round rocks. Unable alone to achieve his 

 object, No. 2 went off, but presently returned with a 

 friend, with whose help he succeeded in effecting a 

 capture. But the chase had aroused the interest of the 

 hermit crab colony, at least from fifteen to twenty of 

 them were engaged in an apparently furious battle for 

 possession of the unfortunate baby herring. Then 

 occurred the most amusing episode of all. Out of the 

 struggling mass there crawled a hermit crab, dragging 

 along with him the body, somewhat dilapidated by 

 now, of the herring, with which he quietly retired behind 

 a rock out of sight of his companions and proceeded to 

 make his meal, while all the others continued to fight, 

 unconscious, apparently, that the object of their desire 

 was gone. I always have had a hope that the final 

 possessor of the herring was also the original captor. 



E. ACLAND-TROYTE. 



December 12, 1903. 



NOTE. If not, let the sun go round the earth, the roots 

 of trees wave their fibres in the air, the beams of the 

 sun be of ice, the law of gravitation be reversed, and the 

 moon be made of green cheese ! All justice is at an end. 



