EDITORIAL GLEANINGS. 287 



In the * Contemporary Review ' for May, Mr. Matthias Dunn contributes 

 an article on " Mimicry and other Habits of Crabs." The instances ad- 

 duced as mimicry seem to fall under the terms " Assimilative Colouration " 

 or "Active Mimicry." Of "Habits" there is quite a number of most 

 interesting observations recorded. Of Cancer pagurus, the Great Crab, 

 Mr. Dunn has been led to believe that the finest specimens exist between 

 Dartmouth in Devon and the Lizard headland in Cornwall, where males 

 are often known to reach thirteen and fourteen pounds weight, and where 

 they are only called half-Crabs when under eight inches across the back ; 

 whereas on most other parts of the British Isles Crabs two or three pounds 

 weight and six or seven inches across the back are considered large. The 

 powers of smell and eyesight in this species are fairly good, and it prefers 

 fresh red-coloured fish as food, such as the Red Gurnard, Red Mullets, and 

 Bream, or the strongly perfumed flesh of the Whitehound Shark. Its 

 enemies are all the large Skates existing on the coasts, with the Octopus 

 vulgaris, and the Nursehound Sharks ; while the Sea- Breams and Wrasse 

 delight in feeding on the remains of their slaughter. The Skates hunt 

 them with great energy, and with their tough snouts rout them out of the 

 crevices of the rocks, and, after crushing them, devour them whole. Mr. 

 Dunn has seen as many as five of these Crabs in the stomach of one Skate. 

 The Octopus also feeds on them ravenously, aud, but for their sharp nip- 

 pers, would scarcely look for any other food. He has more than once seen 

 such Cuttles with their arms bitten clean off, which no doubt was the 

 result of battling with these Crabs. The Nursehound also feeds on the 

 smaller forms. 



In the ' Cornhill Magazine ' for May, Mr. C. Parkinson writes on 

 11 The Great Birds of the Southern Seas." The Albatross was well observed, 

 and graphically described. On approaching Tristan da Cunha three or four 

 species of Albatross had congregated round the ship, as many as thirty 

 birds settling on the water astern in a manner highly satisfactory for close 

 and continuous observation. After half a gale of wind a lull not infre- 

 quently occurs, when the speed is reduced to two or three knots ; then the 

 hungry creatures literally clamour for food. Directly a bird intends to 

 alight, the legs appear straddling downwards in ungainly fashion — a 

 moment when even an Albatross looks like an ill-balanced Goose of un- 

 wieldy size. For half a minute it runs along the surface of the waves, 

 treading water, so to speak, until the enormous wings become manageable. 

 Then the bird swims with both wings thrown back, like a pair of lateen 

 sails — a very Argonaut on the translucent sea. At length the difficulty is 

 overcome, the wings are packed away, and — like a large Gull — it rides the 

 waves with consummate ease. Sometimes it paddles to and fro, or again 



