April, 1836. 



BIRGOS LATRO. 



551 



In the latter, the vegetation was perhaps more luxuriant than 

 in any other part. The cocoa-nut trees generally grow 

 separate, but here the young ones flourished beneath their 

 tall parents, and formed with their long and curved fronds 

 the most shady arbours. Those alone who have tried it know 

 how delicious it is to be seated in such shade, and drink 

 the cool pleasant fluid of the cocoa-nut, which hangs in 

 great bunches close by. In this island there is a large bay 

 or little lagoon, composed of the finest white sand : it is 

 quite level, and is only covered by the tide at high water ; 

 from this large bay smaller creeks penetrated the surrounding 

 woods. To see a field of glittering sand, representing water, 

 and around the border of which the cocoa-nut trees extended 

 their tall and waving trunks, formed a singular and very 

 pretty view. 



I will now briefly mention a few zoological observations 

 which I made during our stay at these islands. I have before 

 alluded to a crab which lives on the cocoa-nuts ; it is very 

 common on all parts of the dry land, and grows to a mon- 

 strous size. It is closely allied or identical with Birgos latro. 

 This crab has its front pair of legs terminated by very 

 strong and heavy pincers, and the last pair by others which 

 are narrow and weak. It would at first be thought quite 

 impossible for a crab to open a strong cocoa-nut covered 

 with the husk ; but Mr. Liesk assures me he has repeatedly 

 seen the operation effected. The crab begins by tearing 

 the husk, fibre by fibre, and always from that end under 

 which the three eye holes are situated ; when this is com- 

 pleted, the crab commences hammering with its heavy claws 

 on one of these eye holes, till an opening is made. Then 

 turning round its body, bj^ the aid of its posterior and 

 narrow pair of pincers, it extracts the white albuminous 

 substance. I think this is as curious a case of instinct as 

 ever I heard of, and likewise of adaptation in structure 

 between two objects apparently so remote from each other 

 in the scheme of nature as a crab and a cocoa-nut tree. The 

 Birgos is diurnal in its habits, but every night it is said to pay 



