148 THE STORY OF LIFE IN THE SEAS. 



The advantage of this arrangement to the 

 Anemone is obvious, for it can not only obtain 

 its food after the manner of the other Anemones, 

 but it also gains a share of the food of the Hermit- 

 crab. The advantage to the Crab is not so ap- 

 parent, but it is probable that the Anemone, 

 being very distasteful to many Fish and other 

 animals, acts as a protector to it. The facts 

 that Hermit - crabs are extremely shy, dart- 

 ing back into their shells when there is the 

 slightest sign of danger, and that they are ex- 

 tremely good bait for many kinds of Fish, 

 suggest very forcibly that they have many 

 enemies among the inhabitants of the deep. 

 Any such covering as that afforded by the Ane- 

 mone, which hides to a great extent the character 

 of the shell, would be of protective value, but 

 when to that is added the fact that the Anemone, 

 which affords this covering, is avoided as un- 

 eatable and distasteful by carnivorous Fish, there 

 can be no doubt whatever of the assistance that 

 it renders to the Crab in return for its board. 

 If any of my readers are sceptical about the 

 distastefulness of Sea-anemones I would ask 

 them to think of any instance in which Sea- 

 anemones are used for bait, and then to try the 

 experiment of offering pieces of them to the Fish 

 in an aquarium. 



An observation by Prof. Mdbius in the Indian 

 Ocean affords another example of the use of Sea- 

 anemones in this respect. He discovered a little 

 Crab called Melia tesselata which carried about in 

 each of its claws a Sea-anemone. When the 

 Crab was alarmed it held them up in much the 



