SHORES OF THE CLYDE AND FIRTH. 
117 
a line from a fishing-rod, then quickly drawn in, and also 
stiipped through the brushes below. 
From these observations one thing, we know, is certain, 
and that is, that this crab is possessed of a wonderful power 
of vision. The eyes, perched upon the top of their stalks, 
overlook the situation ; and seeing the objects advancing in 
the current, directs the hands to the point of capture. 
This, of necessity, must be the case, for the eyes, in the 
movements, can be the only guide, and each eye seems to 
guide the action of its respective hand. How great, then, 
must be the power of sight, when these minute objects are 
so plainly seen, which, even with the aid of a powerful 
lens, we are ourselves unable to discover. 
CLOAKLET AND WHELK SHELL. 
The connection of this specimen with the cloaklet is 
confined entirely to itself; and when the attached shell be- 
comes too small, and necessitates a removal to a larger 
house, the intelligence displayed by the crab is most wonder- 
ful. The cloaklet is first induced, by some means, to relax 
his hold and leave the old home, and is then carried to the 
new one. The claws, or nippers, of the crab, then lay hold 
of the fringe of the cloak, and place it on the inner lip of 
the new shell ; and when the adhesion begins, it runs 
round the inner lip, then, doubling over the edge, fixes on 
the outer lip with a firm and permanent grasp. I he shell 
is selected out of a knowledge of its fitness for the require- 
