ANECDOTE. 81 



These animals also adopt the same course: it must 

 be to unheard music (which the poets say is sweetest), 

 that seems ever and anon to fall on their ears, giving 

 them great delight. 



The movements here alluded to may be in no 

 way influenced by music; but such as they are, it 

 is curious that they have not been noticed as an ap- 

 parent explanation of the origin of the ancient be- 

 lief regarding the Spider-Crabs. 



A friend, on one occasion having procured for me, 

 among other objects, a Common Limpet, I placed 

 this mollusc in my aquarium, and soon had the 

 pleasure of watching it affix its broad foot to the 

 surface of the glass. After a while, on the Limpet 

 slightly raising its canopy, I was surprised to observe 

 a little Shore-Crab peer out from between the foot 

 and shell. On suddenly ejecting the intruder by 

 means of a small brush, he speedily hid himself from 

 view among the surrounding pebbles. A few hours 

 after, on again approaching the tank to view the 

 Patella (which was easily identified, from the fact 

 of an immense colony of Mussels being settled on its 

 "back), I found to my great astonishment that the 

 crab had re-seated himself in his old position. I 

 often repeated the sweeping operation, but without 

 success, for the little rascal had become artful, and 

 was not inclined to be driven forth a second time by 



a coup de main. I touched the Limpet frequently 



6 



