342 THE AQUARIAN NATURALIST. 



very common in all parts of the Polynesian islands, 

 which lives on cocoa-nuts, and which grows to a 

 monstrous size. This vegetarian crab has its fore 

 pair of legs terminated by very strong and heavy 

 pincers, and the last pair by others of like structure, 

 which are comparatively narrow and weak. " It 

 would at first be thought quite impossible for a crab 

 to open a strong cocoa-nut, covered with the husk, 

 but Mr. Liesk assures me he has repeatedly seen the 

 operation effected. The crab begins by tearing the 

 husk fibre by fibre, and always at that end under 

 which the three eye-holes are situated ; when this is 

 accomplished, the animal commences hammering with 

 its heavy claws on one of these holes till an opening 

 is made j then, turning round its body, by the aid of 

 its posterior and narrow pair of pincers, it extracts 

 the white albumenous substance of the nut. I think 

 this as curious a case of instinct as ever was heard 

 of, and likewise of adaptation of structure between 

 two objects apparently so remote from each other in 

 the scheme of nature as a crab and a cocoa-nut-tree. 

 This crab is diurnal in its habits, but every night it 

 is said to pay a visit to the sea, no doubt for the pur- 

 pose of moistening its branchiae. The young are 

 likewise hatched and live for some time on the coast. 

 These crabs inhabit deep burrows, which they exca- 

 vate beneath the roots of trees ; and here they accu- 

 mulate surprising quantities of the picked fibres of 

 the cocoa-nut husk, on which they rest as on a bed. 

 The Malays sometimes take advantage of their labour 

 by collecting the coarse fibrous substance and using 

 it as junk." 



