59 



THE RACING CRAB. 



distance of 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 



- \ ^=^*t 



FIGHTING CRAB. Oelaslmus bellator. 

 ANGULAR CRAB. Ooaoplax angulata. 



some tempting food 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 and 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 

 endeavors 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 most 



