THE WOOD-BOEING SHEIMP. 93 



by Mr. T. H. llood, in his " Notes of a Cruise in H.M.S. Fawn, 

 in the "Western Pacific." In the Samoan group of islands, the 

 crab is called " Ou-ou," and is a favoiu'ite article of food. While 

 the vessel remained off Samoa, Mr. Hood asked about these 

 crabs ; and though he did not see any of them performing so 

 strange a feat, he shows that there are very good grounds for 

 believing the possibility of such an action. 



" I inquired of them about the habits of the Ou-ou, or great 

 cocoa-nut-eating crab, common here, and found the reports pre- 

 viously received from the natives corroborated. Mr. Darwin 

 mentions that, in the Seychelles and elsewhere, there is a species 

 which is in the habit of husking the nuts on the ground, and then 

 tapping one of the eyes with its great claw, in order to reach the 

 kernel. Its congener here ascends the cocoa-trees, and having 

 thrown the nuts down, husks them on the ground ; this operation 

 performed, again ascends with the nuts, which he throws down, 

 generally breaking them at the first attempt, but, if not suc- 

 cessful, repeating it till the object is attained. 



" Before leaving, an old Savage Island man at the mission 

 brought in three or four immense Ou-ous, which evinced in their 

 efforts to escape, bursting coils of cocoa-nut sinnet, a strength 

 quite sufficient to husk the toughest cocoa-nut. As to the 

 method of obtaining the contents afterwards, every native (both 

 Samoans and Niuans) confirms the account mentioned before. 

 The Niuans understand their habits best. The old man who 

 brought them to-day dug them out of the holes in which they 

 remain many weeks torpid. The female differs from the male 

 in having three flippers, well furnished with strong borers, on 

 the right side of the sac." 



When full grown, this crab is more than two feet in length, 

 and, as may be seen by the illustration, is stoutly made in pro- 

 portion to its length. The colour of the creature is very pale 

 brown, with a decided tinge of yellow. 



Passing by many other species of Crustacea which burrow in 

 the earth, or mud, or sand, we come to a very remarkable being, 

 which makes its habitation in solid wood. This is the Wood- 

 boring Shrimp {Ghelura terebrans), one of the sessUe-eyed Crus- 

 tacea, nearly related to the well-known sand-hopper, which is so 

 plentiful on our coasts. 



