The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-08-20
sruDESTs OF SaTUEAL HISTORY.
Activity Fl the Young ~ataraItsfs Of
s~zttis-Fis sfts Of the Hermit Crab.

Activity sf the Young ~atnraltsfs OF
s~.tsis-Fissis. Of the Hermit Crab
IL seems that interest Is being awakened
al over tie Puget Sound district In sub
jscts q natural history. at Anscortss
there is fi0urshing juvenile organization
stud ring and collecting the queer and
Tssra fgras. u sea life and botanical sFsei-
mems. Al Cbautauqua come excellent
natural history xork Is being done, "a IS
also the case In the various schools. Here
at Seattle the Young Na;uFaiists are more
active as ga organ cation than ~ any time
in the history Of tie society. Very often
there appear items ia the local newspapers
81 tue sound cities about curious objects.
For instance the following item appeared
in = recent number Of the Ofyupian. Of
Olympia;
Milton Giles is the possessor Of curl
osify which be hooked out Of the BAY
while fishing. II il curious tn rs forma-
ton. aud has appropriated the home Of
one u It's companions Of the d@ep. The
creature Is simply crab In sea snaiPs
shell. II has more resemblance 70 . lob
ster sith soft body. bat us arms and
snsppers are natural enough. Immense
feelers. nearly three Inches long, pr0trude
from us head.
From appearances il looks "a though the
snail. looked into its house, become pleased
with tire surroundings ard disposed of the
natural tenant by eating IT. When u
walks on the ground the immense snail
shell is carried on its back and IL disturbed
% snaps Itself into the shelter Of its she'll
~ quickly as a steel trap. IL IS indeed
curious creature sud 30 interesting In its
unnatural maks-np that the Youths Com
paai0n recently devoted two columns TO
TINS class Of creeper."
The creature spoken Of il hermit crab.
and belongs 20 the family PagsFHs From
the description given above the specimen
referred 20 - undoubtedly the Eupdguras
ocAotcnsis. which Is the largest hermit crab
found on the Pacific coast. IL uses for a
home the shells OF the large sea snail,
called the Lunafia LeWisii, the latter name
given In honor II the famous leader OF the
Lewis and Clarke expedition. There are
Eve or sir other species of hermit crabs
here including the following; EHpagurus
AiFtiaseaius, which Is common, but quite
small: EupagHrus Giliii. which was first
found By Prof q. b. Johnson, OF Seattle.
who dredged It in Burrows bay in 1854 !;
Eupagarns ReFnAardus which is the com
honest OF ali the hermits on the Coast
1t has always been a mooted question
among scientists whether the hermit crab
attacks the living animal in the shell it
| wishes 20 occupy, although il is known to
| be carntvorous. One strong argument
/ against the idea IS the fact that the crabs
/ are rarely found in perfect shells, and i'm
| deed one was found securely enseonced ia
/ the bowl Of an old clay pipe. At an in-
/ formal meeting at the Young Naturalists
last evening Prof. Johnson told of his hav-
/ ing watched hermit change his
shell lie approached the new she'll
/ aud examined It most cautiously.
| thFusling In his arms and 'feelers -
! turning the she'll around and around. Be
/ coming satisfied of the condition Of the
new home he eFawled under q piece Of ses
/ weed near the shell and in a few moments
he whisked into the new shell, aud the
house moving was accomplished This
caution - Of vital Importance, because
the part Of the crab that Is fastened into
the she'll j. a soft and succulent morseI
| much priced by fish. other crabs and sim.
liar enemies Of the hermit, though when
| once lodged In his new home he is in J
| castle well fortified and can proceed TO de-
voar less protected creatures 10 the end O,
hi. days.
The hermit crab has recently been used
IS an argument in favor Of the theory 81
| evolution. or rather in opposition TO tn,
theory OF the fixedness Of species. Their,
/ is a peculiar cirrtped or barnacss that
| during one period OF its existence, fastens
10 the body Of the hermit crab aud sends
roots into its tber TO saek out sassenAnce
| In turn this parasitic barnAcle has an lao
| pod that fastens upon IL and draws life
| from the harnacle. The bArnaele dies bal
the Isopod continue. 70 draw life through
I the roots Of the hsrnae.e. aud ali thi,
time The hermit himself is living in ths
cast of shell Of still another species. Thi.
ENHANCEMENT Of species is held TO be /
difficult problem for those who claim tia,
all species Of animal and vegetable life
| were created aud q xed from the beginning