

NATURAL HISTORY vt N R TV A T. t6 9 



tores noftri, nee plures, nee pauciores. Mare Americanum id 

 genus animalculorum copiofe frequentat, ut habet Carolus Roche- ' 

 fort in Hiftoria Infularum Americanarum, Antilles a Geographis 

 vulgo appellatarum ; fed in hifce Balticis flu&ibus, nee poft, nee 

 ante id tempus, reperti funt Cancelli. Peculiaris Cancellorum eft 

 progenies, Americanis Cancellis admodum fimijk ut ovum ovo, 

 nifi quod hie turbinem Norvagicum, ille nautili 'concham in hof- 

 • pitium 8c corporis fui munimentum contra hoftium infidias eligat 

 Cancellus. Totius animalculi prsecipua pars anterior caput eft, 

 cum annexis pedibus 8c forcipulis. Hac parte corporis cancfum 

 quodammodo refert, tefta rubefcente munita : inferior autem pars, 

 a capite ad caudam, tenuis eft, imbecillis, nuda 8c mollis ad inftar 

 locuftarum, tefta carens, fed cuticula veftita, quae inferitur concha, 

 duobus tamen pedibus, in acutum definentibus, tanquam retina- 

 culis exiftit, quibus forfan corpus in tefta retinet, ne elabatur. 

 Hiftoriam Cancellorum fatis accuratam defcripfit Gefnerus, quern 

 gnaviter fecuti funt Aldrovandus, Johnftonius 8c alii, fed nuilam 

 apud eos inter variantes figuras delineationem invenimus, huic 

 noftro Cancello fimillimam. Qua ratione in littus noftrum jadati 

 fint hofpites hi infrequentes, autumare nequimus, nifi forfan e 

 Norvegia vel aliunde navium minis hue venientium adhseferint, 

 eafque ad Infulam Romfoe, ubi frequens ad anchoras navium eft 

 flatio relinquerint : namque turbines Norvagici, quibus teguntur, 

 in mari hoc Balthico non ante funt reperti, fed e Norvegia ad 

 nos transferuntur. Hoc modo in freto Helfingoram verfus, Cancer 

 Moluccanus Anno 1633, captus eft, 8c Mufeo Wormiano Hafnise 

 dicatus." 



Thefe Hermits, or Craw-fifh-fnails, are faid to fwim, or row 

 themfelves along, by the help of their extended claws, pretty 

 quick. It is obferved that they often quit their fhell, to fwim the 

 quicker ; but they return again, in order to enter their formes 

 habitation ; tho' in this they find themfelves fometimes prevented 

 by an envious neighbour of their own kind, who thinks it more 

 convenient than his own ; and when he has taken poffeftion, he 

 defends himfelf In it, as if polTeftlon gave him a right to it *. 



The fame power do thefe creatures alfo exercife over the 

 Wilks, when they either want a new habitation, or when they 

 are grown too big for their fhells. " A conchis nudi nafcuntur, 

 fed purpuras ac turbines e fuis pellunt conchis, iifque vefcuntur, ut 

 eorum occupent domicilia. Cum in amplitudinem majorem excre- 



* Mich, Bernn. Valentini, in his Mufeum Mufeorum, Lib. iii. p. 503, perhaps on 

 that account, gives them the name of Soldier-filh. He looks upon them to be a fort 

 of Sea-fcorpions, and fays that the Indians prepare an healing-oil from them, which is 

 reckoned good for rheumatic and other pains in the joints. 



Part II, X x verunt 3 



