Marvels of the Universe 



233 



though he may capture more minute and insidious foes that seek to creep in and attack the Hermit's 

 unprotected parts. This zoophyte is a fixture, attached by a stony skeleton to the whelk-shell ; 

 but the anemone removes when the Hermit changes his cell, and seeks another host when the Hermit 

 dies. As the stony base of this zoophyte runs up into hard spines at intervals between the soft 

 bodies of the animal, it is clear that it helps to fill up the mouth of a shell that is too large, without 

 blocking the access of sea-water to the interior. A much enlarged portrait of this guest will be 

 seen below. 



Prideaux's Hermit is another large species, that has a similar friendship for a different anemone, 

 known as the Cloaklet, from its habit of wrapping itself round the Hermit's cell, commonly in this 

 case a shell of the large Top. Some years ago I had the remarkable experience of obtaining two 

 specimens of this Hermit that, having escaped from crab-pots in harbour without their stony houses, 

 had taken refuge between the stones of the harbour wall, and because the holes were too large, had 

 induced or permitted Acorn-barnacles to build on their heads and arms, and so help the crabs to 

 fill up the doorway. A photograph of one of these remarkable specimens is reproduced. The 

 fact that a Hermit Crab placed under unnatural conditions had met the difficulty in such a way 

 would have been remarkable ; but that two individuals should do precisely the same thing under 

 those conditions was rather startling. Were it not that psychologists tell us that animals so low 

 down in the scale of organization can have no glimmering of intelligence, one would be inclined 

 to think they had both followed one line of reasoning, and acted upon it ! The photograph on 

 page 235 does not show one of these intelligent Hermits in the cave of its choice. From its situation 



THE HERMITS ZOOPHYTE COMPANION. 



This greatly enlarged picture shows part of the zoophyte colony that lines the mouth of the Common Hermit's portable house. 

 It may also be found entirely covering the shell in which the Downy Hermit is housed — see photo on next page. 



