THE ISLANDS OF THE BAY OF BENGAL. 91 



were speedly informed that this was by far the finest and largest 

 known specimen of the great robber crab, Bergus latro. 



This great robber possessed a peculiar interest in our eyes ; 

 wherever we had landed on the Nicobars, we had found 

 hundreds and thousands of cocoanuts, each with a large neat 

 circular hole cut into the centre of one side, right through husk 

 (often 2 4 inches thick) and shell, and with the whole contents 

 scooped clean out. 



The Nicobarese declared that this was done by an objection- 

 able party, a sort of devil as we understood, described as a 

 species of scaly dragon, and further that it went up the trees 

 at night, cut down the best nuts and then devoured them on 

 the ground, and that there was some substantial foundation, 

 for this was proved by our finding numbers of quite fresh nuts, 

 holed as above described, that could not have fallen by them- 

 selves, and that still bore a portion of the yet green footstalk cut 

 through cleanly enough, but as if with very blunt shears, that had 

 crushed rather than cut. 



Here then was the devil ! here was the dragon ! and a more 

 devilish looking brute it would have been hard to meet with. 

 Directly it was caught, the Nicobarese earnestly entreated that 

 it might be released. Obviously they feared it, even more than 

 they hated it for the destruction it caused amongst their 

 cocoanuts. They at once said that this was what plundered their 

 trees, but averred that it was a dangerous demon to meddle with, 

 and would, if hurt, bring fever and death into their homes. 



After the good service they had rendered, the Geologist 

 regretted that the interests of science (for he knew instinctively 

 that he had got a prize) forbad his harkening to their simple 

 prayer, but duty showed the way. Jonathan had the pleasure 

 of consigning that crab to a huge tub of spirits (nothing else 

 would hold him), and his mortal remains will long I hope con- 

 tinue an ornament and attraction to the Indian Museum, where 

 they are to be deposited. 



About 3 a.m. (16th) we weighed anchor, and came on 

 to Camorta. Here we saw nothing new, but visited several 

 of the villages and fraternised with the Nicobarese. It was 

 amusing to see Captain London dressed from tip to toe 

 in European costume, a nice white shirt, black necker- 

 chief, spotless white jacket, waistcoat, trousers and stockings, 

 and good English shoes and hat, quite the civilized gentleman, 

 and then to meet him to his discomfiture, alone in his canoe, 

 at evening, fishing. Stark naked and looking the veriest 

 savage imaginable, darting head foremost from this canoe, and 



