Crabs, Lobsters, etc. 



ships is that of a little tropical crab and these animals. 

 This very ingenious individual lives on coral reefs. Its 

 claws are too feeble to enable it to obtain food, and food is 

 a necessity even to a crab. Nothing daunted, it removes 

 two small sea-anemones from their rocky homes and holds 

 one in either claw, grasping a friendly coral the while 

 firmly with its legs. Now the anemones, waving their 

 tentacles in the water, attract food thereto, and this the 

 wily crab removes and transfers to his own mouth by 

 means of his first pair of legs. There are said to be two 

 sides to every question, but on which side the unfortunate 

 sea-anemones find themselves is not quite clear, though 

 it must be admitted that they do not seem to suffer any 

 ill effects from their unwonted treatment ; perhaps the 

 crab permits them to partake of some of the food which 

 they have been at pains to capture. 



Artifice has been brought to the pitch of a fine art by 

 the crab family. One species perambulates the floor of 

 ocean pools with its hind legs permanently bent over its 

 back. In the claws of these legs it holds shells, leaves 

 and the like with the object of hiding its movements. 

 Another species plants a small sponge on its back and 

 holds it there till it has become firmly fixed and able to 

 grow and form a living coat for the crab. Yet another 

 crab, and a common British species, has a back studded 

 with small hooks. To these it affixes pieces of seaweed, 

 should it dwell amongst such vegetation, or particles of 

 sponge if sponge-beds form its home. In time these 

 planted organisms take root and form a permanent 

 covering. This habit of the spider-crabs, as they are 

 called, may serve another purpose besides protection. 

 The plants form veritable portable kitchen gardens, from 

 which their owners pluck and eat tasty morsels from time 

 to time. 



As architects, the crustaceans are sadly lax ; some of 

 them make burrows, as we have noted, but they display 

 little ingenuity in their labours. Many crabs do little 



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