The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-07-08
THE APOLLZNARzS CO, LzD., LONDON

little older they begin to live in shells. Their bodies are soft and have hooked claws at the ends, which enable them to fasten themselves more securely in the shells. Their legs are crowded to- ward the front part of their bodies and project from the shells, allowing the crabs to walk around and carry their houses on their backs. Their eyes are very prominent, giving the crabs very grotesque appearance.
 If hermit is taken from his house and several shells of different sizes put beside it, the crab will prove very amusing in his efforts to regain his empty residence. He may select a shell which is too small for him. and spend some moments trying to squeeze into the opening; or perhaps he will try another, several sizes too large, and in hurrying to hide his soft body, the lit tie hermit slips so far inside the shell that only his two front claws are visi- ble
 I once saw two crabs quarrel over one shell, and both became very deter mined to have it. In the midst of the quarrel another crab came along, un- llOlltC0 NY ltS olutJ6J diu QuiGllS pCt- tied the question by slipping into the shell and scuttling away.
 Sometimes the common crabs will fight the hermits, but the latter have the advantage, for when they wish to bring the contest to q close they can draw themselves inside their she'll houses and feel safe.
 When a hermit-crab is discovered running along among the stones near the edge of the water he will invariably draw in his claws at once, and lie perfectly still, thinking to escape de- tection in that way. When there are several shells near by 1t is difficult to discover the crab unless he venture to move little, and by so doing make his | presence known.
 When kept in an aquarium, hermit crabs are source of much pleasure. They are small clean and easy to care for, but they must be we'll fed and the water in which they are kept should be l changed frequently, as hermits need a l large amount of oxygen. They have
 very large appetites, and unless their | supply of food is kept up they are very | likely to shorten the lives of their less powerful companions. For this reason 1 it is better to keep the hermits in a l separate aquarium, not only for better
 observation but also for the safety of the other animals.
 When one goes for a walk on the 1 beach, and leaves an aquarium full of I crabs sea- -anemones and worms, 1t is
 not encouraging, on returning, to find
 the crabs in sole possession, their queer l eyes making them look as if they were l enjoying the situation.
 There are many different kinds of ! hermit crabs, some of them growing to
 large size.
 | The palm-crab, which is distributed l through almost all of the Indo-Pacific 1 region, is an exception to all other her
 mits. as it has hard body and does
 not live in a shell.
 | An afternoon spent on the beach with hermt-crabs is an experience which
 will long be remembered, and it is very likely that almost any one would wish to repeat the visit The little crabs are just as interesting when visited the
 second or third time as they were al first, and there is always some new de velopment in their habits, some change
 in their queer houses so that they arc a never ending pleasure to the student of nature. L. LAvINIA VERRILL.