THE YOUNG 



NATUEALIST. 



claws on the lip of the new shell, it whisks 

 out its curved abdomen, and quick as thought 

 it is snugly esconced in its fresh abode. 

 The action is exactly like that of the gym- 

 nast vaulting over a rail, the arms of the 

 gymnast representing the large claws of the 

 crab, and his body and legs its abdomen. 

 As soon as it is in it gives itself a twist or 

 two to get comfortably into its new abode ; 

 but it often happens that it has left some 

 sharp sand grain or other substance in the 

 innermost recesses of the shell, which 

 irritates the sott body and cannot be endured. 

 The vaulting process is gone through again 

 and it is back into its old home. Another 

 excursion into the interior, the obstruction 

 is removed, and again it vaults lightly into 

 the new shell, and if it feels more at ease 

 will march off. It very often happens, 

 however, that after it has gone a little dis- 

 tance, feeling probably not so much at home 

 as it did before, that it will return to the 

 old shell. Sometimes this exchanging pro- 

 cess will go on for hours. First it is in one 

 and then in the other ; not able to reconcile 

 itself to the new abode, or not able to tear 

 itself away from the shell in which it had 

 been so comfortable. Sometimes after this 

 changing has gone on for half a day it will 

 finally march off in the old shell and 

 abandon the new one altogether. I have 

 seen, too, when a crab has been in its new 

 abode for some hours it has fallen in again 

 with the old shell which it evidently recog- 

 nized, but it has now had time to expand a 

 little and has got comfortably settled. Never- 

 theless, it generally tries its old house once 

 more, has a look into the interior and then 

 vaults in, to find it decidedly too small and 

 very uncomfortable. After doing this once 

 it never takes any further heed of the old 

 shell, no matter how often it may come 

 across it. I am conscious that I have des- 

 cribed this most interesting proceeding 

 very imperfectly. No words can describe 

 the comical eflect of the jump, tail-foremost 



into the new shell, and when it jumps out 

 again directly and again begins to investi- 

 gate the innet whorls, it is easy to see what 

 is the matter. I could sit all day watching 

 these crabs, and they are far from the most 

 interesting objects of a salt water aquarium. 

 It is much to be regretted we have not yet 

 learned how to manage them on a smiall 

 scale, so as to be availabe for homes of 

 taste. 



NATURAL HISTORY DIARY: 



By J. W. Carter. 



October 2nd. — As I was going to Ilkley I 

 saw vast flocks of Golden Plovers on Rom- 

 balds moor. I also saw C. haworthii flying 

 plentifully in the afternoon sun, and feeding 

 on Calluna vulgaris on the moors above 

 Morton. Noticed three immature swallows 

 flying leisurely about at a somewhat great 

 height near Bingley. This was the last date 

 on which I saw any of the Hirundines. 

 (E.P.P.B) 



October 9th. — Saw a flock of Redwings 

 and Fieldfares on Blackhills. 0. dilutata 

 was in abundance. Took one specimen of 

 E. tiliaria in Bingley Wood.— (E.P.P.B.) 

 The latter is evidently not a common species 

 in this district, this is the fourth recorded 

 in about six years. 



October 1 6th. — My brother and I took 

 one specimen of A . aprilina at rest on the 

 trunk of a tree in Bingley wood. — (E.P.P.B.) 



October i6th. — A person sent my brother 

 a specimen of V. urticce which he had caught 

 a few days previously, and notwithstanding 

 his having had it flying about in his office it 

 was in excellent condition. I remember 

 seeing one of this species apparently quite 

 fresh from pupa at rest on the side of a 

 house close to my residence on the 14th of 

 October, 1880, just previous to the great 

 snowstorm.— (E.P.P.B.; 



October 29th. — H. defoliaria was quitg 

 common at Shipley Glen. H. aurantiaria 



