COG 



THE KOBBEK-CKAB. 



to clamber up the branches or the trunks of trees, drawing themselves up by their powerful 

 claws and limbs, and caring little for the heavy burden which they bear on their backs. 

 They have the power of producing a curious noise, something like the croak of a frog 

 alternating with sounds as if of drawing water through the lips. 



They are active and voracious beings, and feed with equal avidity on animal and 

 vegetable substances. They prefer animal food, such as fish, crabs, and, indeed, almost 

 any kind of flesh, but they will greedily eat yams, cocoa-nut, and other fruits. They are 

 timid creatures, croaking when disturbed, and seldom attempting to fight, but draw them- 

 selves smartly within their homes as soon as they feel alarmed. They are mostly 

 nocturnal in their habits ; and as they bring a large supply of shells to land, and are very 

 fastidious about their accommodation, a great heap of empty shells is to be seen upon the 

 shore, and there is a continual rattle during the night as the creatures knock the sheila 

 about in their movements. 



DIOGENES HERMIT-CRAB. CenoUta Diogenes. 



OAR-FOOT CRAB. Rtmipcs testudindriiis. 



In all these creatures, the larger claw is very much developed ; so that when the crab 

 has withdrawn into the shell, the claw lies over the entrance and closes it like a living door, 

 which has the further advantage of being used as an offensive weapon. The footstalks on 

 which the eyes are set, are moderately long, stout, and jointed, and enable their possessor 

 to see in all directions. The colour of this species is reddish brown, spotted thickly with 

 black. 



CLOSELY allied to the hermit-crabs, we find a, very remarkable creature, called, from 

 its habits, the KOBBEE-CEAB. It is also known by the name of PUESE-CEAB. The habi 

 of this creature, which will presently be described, are most remarkable, and there are 

 several singular peculiarities of structure. The abdomen, for example, is no longer soft 

 as in the hermits, but is covered above with strong plates, which overlap each other L 

 those of the lobster's tail. The under-surface of the abdomen is soft and membranous. 

 This is one of the Crustacea that can endure a long absence from water, and is fitted with 

 a peculiar addition to the breathing apparatus. There are twenty-eight gills, fourteen at 



