September 2, 1889.] TMF TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
213 
It would prove of scientific interest if a larger number 
of these teas were carefully analysed with espeoial 
reference to percentage of mineral ash. 
Frederic Dunn. 
THE COCONUT CRAB. 
A very remarkable crustacean is now on view in 
the Zoological Gardens, ftegent's-park, having been 
presented to the society by Commander Alfred Car- 
penter, K. N. It is the first specimen that has been 
received of the singular cocoanut land crab, of which 
species closely resembling one another exist in many 
tropical countries, some of the specimens being na- 
tives of India, and others of tropical islands in the 
Pacific, &c. It has long been believed by the natives 
of the countries in which they are fouud that the 
robber crabs — the Birgus latro of zoologists — have 
been in the habit of climbing trees in order to steal 
the coconuts, Mr. Cuming, a very correct authority 
states that they do really climb up the trunks of a 
species of palm tree — the Pandanus o foratissimus — to 
obtain a small kind of coconut on which they feed. 
They live in excavations amongst the roots of the 
trees, and constitute a very favourite food of the 
natives of some districts, whilst iu others they are 
credited by the inhabitants with digging down to the 
graves and eating the bodies, an accusation apparently 
without foundation. The legs are perfectly in accor- 
dance with the habits of the animals. The anterior 
are furnished with powerful claws, with which they 
pull off the fibrous covering of the shell of the nut 
at the end where the three eye like holes are situated ; 
these are then opened, and the slender hinder claws 
employed to pull out the edible interior. Mr. Cuming 
further states that the deep holes in whioh the crabs 
live at the bases of the tree are lined with the fibre 
torn off the nuts. The claws placed between the 
anterior and posterior limbs have poiuted extremities 
admirably adapted for the purpose of climbing the 
palm trees from which they obtain their food. The 
habits of a closely allied, if not identical, species are 
graphically described by Charles Darwin in that, to 
me, the most delightful of all journals, " A Natu- 
ralist's Voyage," which I value the more, as it was 
the first of very many books that the author gave 
me during our intercourse of more than a third of 
a century. 
Mr. Darwin writes as follows regardiug the species : — 
" 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 moustrous size ; it is 
closely allied or indetical with the Birgus latro. The 
front pair of legs terminate in very strong and heavy 
pincers, and the last pair are fitted with others weaker 
and much narrower. It would at first be thought 
quite impossible for a crab to open a strong cojonut 
covered with the husk ; but Mr. Liesk assures me 
that he has repeatedly seen this effected. The crab 
begins by tearing the husk, fibre by fibre, and al- 
ways from that end under which the three eye-holes 
are situated ; when this is completed, the crab com- 
mences hammering with its heavy claws on one of 
the eye-holes till an opening is made. Then turning 
round its body, by 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, ani likewise of adaptation in 
structure between two objects apparently so remote 
from eaoh other in the scheme of nature as a oiab 
and a ooconut tree. The Birgus is diurnal in its ha- 
bits; but every ni^ht it is said to pay a visit to 
the sea, no doubt for the purpose of moistening its 
branchiae. The young are likewise hut :hed, and live 
for some time on the coast. These crabs inhabit 
deep burrows, which they hollow out beneath the 
roots of trees, and whore they accumulate surprising 
quantities of the picked fib es of the cononut husk, 
on which they rest as on a bod. The Malays some- 
times take advantage of this, and collect the fibrous 
mass to use as junk. These crabs are very good to 
eat ; moreover under the tail of the larger ones there 
is a great miss of fat, which, when melted, sometimes 
yields as much as a quart bottle full of liquid oil. 
It has been stated by some authors that the Birgus 
scrawls up the coconut tree for the purpose of stealing 
the nuts. I very much doubt the possibility of this; 
but with the Pandanus the task would be very much 
easier. I was told by Mr. Liesk that on these islands 
the Birgus lives only on the nuts which have fallen 
to the ground. Captain Moresby informs me that 
this crab inhabits the Ohagos and Seychelle groups, 
but not the neighbouring Maldiva archipelago. It 
formerly abounded at Mauritius, but only a few small 
ones are now found there. In the Pacific this species, 
or one with closely-allied habits, is said to inhabit 
a single coral island north of the Society group._ To 
show the wonderful strength of the front pair of 
pincers, I may mention that Captain Moresby con- 
fined one in a strong tin box which had held biscuits, the 
lid being secured with wire ; but the crab turned 
down the edges and escaped. In turning down the 
edges it actually punched many small holes quite 
through the tin. " 
That the land crabs always deposit their spawn in 
the water is now well known, the eggs begin de- 
veloped, not into young crabs, but into marine creatures 
of a very distinct larval form, known as the zoea. 
These swim about freely, and undergo a series of 
metamorphoses as remarkable as those that insects 
undergo. Tl e b'rgus is for the present located in 
the tortoise-house, near the north entrance of the 
gardens. It should be visited by all naturalists, as 
it is one of those rema kable forms of animal life 
that would never be seen in England but for the 
opportunities aft'ordel by the existence of these ad- 
mirable gardens. — M,-« W. B. Tegetmeier, in the Meld. 
[This crab appears to be identical with that 
described more generally at page 200, vol. V (1885-C) 
of your T. A.—G. D. M.] 
PLANTING IN LOWER PERAK IN 1888. 
The padi crop throughout the district has been, oa 
the whole, very good, and I hear of few, if auy, com- 
plaints. I have under consideration a scheme, which 
has originated with a gentleman in Penang, to in- 
troduce Indian settlers to take up padi-planting on 
a large scale. Nothing definite has yet been arrived 
at, but the large, low-lying tract of laud between the 
Perak and Bsrnam rivers is admirably suited for such 
a purpose, and would support a large population. It is 
to be hoped that the year 1889 will see a step taken 
in this direction. 
The few Achinese pepper planters who were settled 
at Kruh have moved to Sungei Sitiawan. I am sorry 
to say that a fire broke out at Kruh, which seriously 
damaged the pepper trees, which hid already suffered 
from a long drought. The Achinese have therefore 
joined their countrymen at Suogei Sitiawan, where 
they have taken up new land. The pepper plants at 
Sungei Sitiawan were i uspected by His Excellency the 
Governor on the occ asiou of his last visit, and he was 
pleased to express his satisfaction at what he saw as 
to the growth and condition of the pepper planted. 
I am now trying to induce the Achinese to abandon 
the planting of the pepper cutting on dedap trees, 
and I have met with partial success. As they plant 
their pepper under dedap trees in their own country, 
it is not easy to induce them to change the system 
but they are gradually beginning to see its advantage. 
Gutta cutting was resumed during the past year ; 
this had not been permitted for some years past, with 
the hope of saviug the trees, which had been almost 
entirely destroyed by indiscriminate felling. Felling 
was permitted, under certain conditions, and with a 
pass system, but the quantity suppose 1 still to exist 
in the forests was over-rated, but sufficient gutta will 
be colleoted to recoup the towkays tor the advances 
made. 
An arrangement has been come to, under oertain 
conditions, with a firm at Penang to invest a capital 
of $20,000 in pepper cultivation, Government pro- 
