106 THE SEA-SIDE AND AQUARIUM. 



During life, he is only comfortable when creeping 

 over a flat surface, yet his restless disposition causes 

 him to be ever roving about, making vain endeavours 

 to mount inaccessible crags, or climb to the tops of 

 slender trees, or rocks, or bushy tufts of Chondus- 

 chrispus, or any other weed that will sustain his 

 weight. Bumps and falls he does not seem to heed. 

 I have seen one hauling, slipping, and tugging to get 

 to the top of some fronds ; and no sooner had he suc- 

 ceeded, than, losing his equilibrium, he toppled down, 

 and rolled over and over without sustaining the 

 slightest injury, or feeling at all alarmed. Indeed, 

 no sooner was his tub steady, than he popped his 

 arms over the smooth edge, and looked up so quaintly, 

 as much as to say, What do you think of that 1 wasn't 

 it clever ? 



I watched an individual of this class, that for 

 several days, from what reason I cannot tell-, had set 

 his mind upon reaching a cluster of Mussels, that 

 were attached and branching out, self-supporting, from 

 the centre piece of rockwork in my Aquarium. The 

 Crab inhabited an old worn-out Trochus shell that 

 had only the last whorl left entire. Altogether his 

 appearance was vulgar and slovenly in the extreme. 

 He had several times tried to climb up the face of 

 the rock, but his shell, like the chain attached to a 

 convict's leg, proved an insuperable barrier to his 

 success. He did, however, eventually succeed in 

 reaching the desired haven, after the following curious 

 way. 



