93S MR, L. A. BORIIADAIJ-E ON THE PAGCRIXE LAXD-URABS. [XoV. 28, 



native, it is only what was to be expected. A " native," being un- 

 familiar with the idea of a metamorphosis, will always give the same 

 answer to any question on the subject, namely that the young are 

 born exactly like the adult — but very small. 



All doubt on this point has, however, now been removed by the 

 discovery by Dr. A. Willey of a female Birgus on the rocks at the 

 brink of the sea at Lifu in the Loyalty Islands. 



The abdomen of this specimen was covered with hatching zoaeas 

 which were being washed off into the water. The time of the year 

 was the month of January \ 



With regard to the genus Coenobita, I have myself recently 

 taken specimens of two species (C. rugosus and C. perlatus) in 

 Ceylon and the island of Minikoi in the months of May and June, 

 bearing zoseas. The animals were taken on the stretch of wet sand 

 just above the waves. The catches of the tow-net in the island of 

 Minikoi not having yet been examined for specimens of the zosea 

 of Ccenobita, the possibility is not completely excluded that the 

 larvae may undergo the whole or a part of their development 

 within the shell of the mother, which is always wet with salt water. 

 The larvae, however, did not, on a cursory examiuation, give any 

 indication to justify such an assumption, and when placed in sea- 

 water lived for a short time and showed powers of swimming in a 

 lively manner. An attempt to rear them unfortunately failed, but 

 this was only to be expected in view of the known difficulty of the 

 operation. It is perhaps worth noticing that the above two species 

 of Ccenobita are those whose habits keep them nearest to the sea. 

 If an abbreviated development is to be found in the genus, it would 

 more probably occur in forms such as C. splnosus which live at a 

 considerable distance from, or^at least a considerable height above, 

 the sea. 



Erom the observations just recorded, it is clear that the early 

 stages of the development of the Ccenobitidce present no very 

 remarkable features. It may be presumed that later stages follow 

 the ordinary course. The only points of interest remaining for 

 investigation are the assumption of the adult form by Birgus 

 and the transition from sea to land, which we may hope to have 

 described by some future traveller in the Pacific Ocean. 



1 The present writer is under great obligation to Dr. Willey for handing over 

 to him a number of these zoEeas, which will be described and figured in Part V. 

 of Dr. Willey's " Zoological Eesults " now being published by the Cambridge 

 University Press. It is intended also to publish an account uf the larva; of 

 Ccenobita. 



