. The wonder of life. Biology; Natural history; Zoology. THE INSURGENCE OF LIFE 157. Fig. 37.—Cross section through a land-crab {Birgus latro). (After Semper.) 1. The over-lap of the cephalothorax shield. 2. The respir- atory tufts. 3. TwosmallgiUs. 4. The base of a leg. 5. The ventral nerve-cord. 6. The food-canal. 7. The pericardium around the heart. ened and scuttle off backwards, propelling themselves witli their long anterior legs in a series of ungainly jerks. They seem quite conscious of the comparative defencelessness of the abdomen, which they endeavour to thrust under logs or into ho
. The wonder of life. Biology; Natural history; Zoology. THE INSURGENCE OF LIFE 157. Fig. 37.—Cross section through a land-crab {Birgus latro). (After Semper.) 1. The over-lap of the cephalothorax shield. 2. The respir- atory tufts. 3. TwosmallgiUs. 4. The base of a leg. 5. The ventral nerve-cord. 6. The food-canal. 7. The pericardium around the heart. ened and scuttle off backwards, propelling themselves witli their long anterior legs in a series of ungainly jerks. They seem quite conscious of the comparative defencelessness of the abdomen, which they endeavour to thrust under logs or into holes among the roots of trees. But they never carry any protective covering. Their dietary must also have changed greatly, for they eat fruits of various kinds (such as sago-palm and screw-pine) and carrion of all sorts. As their name suggests, they are incorrigible thieves, stealing from the camp not only what is or even looks edible, but apparently anything that has been handled, cooking utensils, bottles, and clothes. Dr. Andrews complains that he had a geological hammer practically ruined by having its handle splintered in the powerful claws of one of the robbers! The case of the land-crab suggests another good instance of adaptation to change of habit. It is to be found in a Philippine crustacean, Thalassina anomala, which is in some respects like a link between the long-tailed prawn type and the hermit-crab type. It is a common burrower. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Thompson, John Arthur, Sir, 1861-1933. London, A. Melrose, Ltd
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