CANCER PINNOTHERES. 3Sl 
till the weakest is obliged to yield : the 
conqueror then takes possession of the 
prize, and often parades it in triumph 
before his disappointed adversary. 
Lucy, It seems odd that crabs should 
want a house, when their own shells are 
so hard. 
Mother. There are several kinds of 
thin-shelled crabs that also seek for 
shelter ; but it is indispensable to the 
Diogenes, as he is only partly covered by 
his coat of mail ; the tail is very tender, 
and terminates in a hook^ by which it 
keeps a secure hold of its house. 
There is a curious, but somewhat 
doubtful story told of a very small spe- 
cies of this family, the cancer pinnothe- 
res^; it is said to live along with the 
muscle, in its shell ; and this sluggish 
animal being too stupid to watch the 
approach of its prey, its lively friend, the 
crab, repays its protection by giving it 
* Plate XXV. 
