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THE HERMIT CRAB. 



and other bivalves, is no bigger than its name implios; 

 while in Japanese waters there occurs a giant crab, — 

 Inachus Kemjjferi by name, — which measures ten feet 

 from tip to tip of its pincer claws. 



The Hermit Crab, in one or other of its species, is found in 

 every sea. Unlike his congeners, he wears no complete coat of- 



HERMIT CRAB. 



mail, no calcareous shell covering his whole body, but only a 

 cuirass and head-piece : the rest of his body is exposed ; and to 

 protect it, his instinct bids him seek the shelter of some 

 empty shell, of a suitable shape and size. In search of 

 such an one he may be seen prowling about the beach; and 

 if he fails to find what he wants, he frequently attacks an 



