270 



Marvels of the Universe 



there till he drowns, unless a comrade comes to his assistance and prizes open the shell. The Giant 

 Clam, however, merely rests on the rocks, anchored by its weight, and does not attach itself per- 

 manently by any bundle of filaments or cartilaginous plug. 



The picture on page 269 (an original photograph by the late Mr. Saville Kent) shows the 

 Giant Clam as and where it lives, and illustrates very well its remarkable development of 

 shell-teeth. 



The powerful muscle which enables this Clam to close its shell is said to be good eating, and 

 this use of the Giant Clams of the Pacific was noted by Captain Cook in his voyages of exploration. 



liy /icniLi 



GIANT CLAM SHELLS 



In this photoerapK both inside and outside of the enormous shell is shown. The high ridge at the back of one valve fits 

 into a corresponding groove in the opposite one. and in coniunction with an elastic ligament constitutes the hinge upon which 

 the valves open and shut. 



THE GIANT CRAB OF JAPAN 



BY SIR. H. H. JOHNSTON, G.C.M.G. 



The Giant Crab of Japan, or Kampfer's Crab, is supposed to be the largest of the crab tribe in 

 existence. The male can span between its outstretched legs as much as eleven feet. This is a 

 moderate estimate, for there are records of specimens so large that they could span as much as 

 eighteen feet. It is the opposite extreme in its class to the minute " water-fleas " found in every 

 pond, which are barely a hundredth of an inch in total length. The Giant Crab of Japan belongs 

 to the section known as the Spider Crabs, which are represented in the seas of Europe as well as in 

 the Pacific Ocean. The largest European Spider Crab is the Spiny Spider Crab, but this is not 

 so large or remarkable as the monstrous crab which was discovered in the waters of Japan and named 

 after the German biologist, Kampfer. The specimen here illustrated, perhaps the largest in any 



