Fiddler- and Hermit-Crabs, 71 
somewhat menacing manner, which has been likened by some 
to the pulling of a violin bow, and by others to the action of 
beckoning or calling, and hence the names which have been 
applied to these eccentric creatures. 
Have you a desire for a more intimate knowledge of the 
animal, take him up by the big claw, and you can now 
examine him without the least fear of incurring the proofs 
of his displeasure. Two bead-like, compound eyes, sup- 
ported on long stalks, which can be readily withdrawn into 
the protecting shield of the carapace, will be observed. 
From the manner of this support, which allows of vision in 
almost every direction, the name of stalk-eyed crustaceans 
has been given to the group in which this structure is found. 
The two pairs of feelers, which you see in front of the eyes, 
are known as antenne and antennules. They are of peculiar 
interest, for, aside from acting as feelers, they subserve the 
functions of smelling and hearing, the auditory apparatus 
being lodged in the base of the smaller pair. There are ten 
feet, and this is a character of importance, as it is a feature 
distinctive of the ten-footed, or decapod, crustaceans. At 
first sight it appears that the animal is devoid of a tail, but if 
you turn him over upon his back you will find a very short 
one tucked safely under the body. A comparison of our 
study of this crab with that of the lobster or cray-fish will 
show that the tail, or, more properly, the abdomen, is 
stretched out beyond the body proper, and that the elonga- 
tion is in proportion to the length of the animal. Two dis- 
tinct groups of ten-legged, stalk-eyed crustaceans are thus 
recognized, namely: the short-tailed forms, or crabs, and the 
opposite, or long-tailed forms, to which the lobster and shrimp 
belong, the hermit-crabs constituting an intermediate type. 
Two species of the Fiddler, considcrably resembling each 
other in color and ornamentation, are to be found upon our 
Atlantic Coast. The more common form, Gelastmus vocator, 
has a smooth, shining carapace, while that of Gelasimus 
minacx is finely granulated and in part tuberculated, the back 
