1'IGHTINO CRAB. Geldsimtis IclJdlor 

 ANGULAR CR&.B.-G6noplax angulaUi 



many feet. So inconvenient are the operations of these industrious pests, that men are 

 kept regularly employed at Colombo in filling up the holes formed by them on the surface 

 of the Galle Pace. This, the only equestrian promenade of the capital, is so infested by 

 these active little creatures, that accidents often occur through horses stumbling in their 

 troublesome excavations." 



These crabs run with surprising swiftness, and it is by no means easy to catch them 

 before they escape into their burrows. Sometimes they are made to afford a few hours' 

 amusement to military officers and other persons who have too much time on their hands, 

 the struggle between man and crab being as exciting as the battle between an eagle and a 

 .salmon. One device is ingenious, simple, and often successful. Long strings are attached 

 to flat pieces of slate or stone, which are carefully laid near a burrow, and some tempting 

 1'ood laid outside. The crabs crawl out to feed on the bait, and while they are engaged, 

 the slates are quietly drawn over the entrance of the burrows. A sharp rush is then 

 made, the crabs scuttle away to their homes, and one or two are generally captured before 

 they have recovered their presence of mind sufficiently to leave their barricaded doors aud 

 ask for admission into another habitation. Another amusement is to chase the crabs on 

 horseback, trying to ride them down by main speed, and to kill them with a gun. They 

 mostly take an oblique line when running, so that a pursuer who is acquainted with their 

 habits is more likely to succeed in his endeavours than one who employs nothing but 

 main speed in the chase. 



None of these crabs care much about the water, being quite satisfied if they can 

 obtain sufficient moisture to keep their gills in working order. As is the case with mosi 



