. The illustrated natural history [microform]. Reptiles; Fishes; Mollusks; Natural history; Reptiles; Poissons; Mollusques; Sciences naturelles. Icsiuiliniriiis. THE BROAD-r-LAW rORCKLAIN-CHAB. 607 ;^- p;i,.Ii sidi' (.1' tlip lindy, and oiu'losi-d in a larj,'(" hollow, wliiuh tliov do not noarlv fdl Even ;ri the lootstalks arc considered, on wliich the gills rest, they hardly occunv the tenth part of tlie -^ ^-^ The Uohber-c^ .b is found in several parts of the Indian Ocean, is very common in , and lias been taken off the Mauritius. Mr. Darwin gives the followinr
. The illustrated natural history [microform]. Reptiles; Fishes; Mollusks; Natural history; Reptiles; Poissons; Mollusques; Sciences naturelles. Icsiuiliniriiis. THE BROAD-r-LAW rORCKLAIN-CHAB. 607 ;^- p;i,.Ii sidi' (.1' tlip lindy, and oiu'losi-d in a larj,'(" hollow, wliiuh tliov do not noarlv fdl Even ;ri the lootstalks arc considered, on wliich the gills rest, they hardly occunv the tenth part of tlie -^ ^-^ The Uohber-c^ .b is found in several parts of the Indian Ocean, is very common in , and lias been taken off the Mauritius. Mr. Darwin gives the followinrr i„t, account of this crab :—" It would at first be thought for a cralj to „,,,, a strong cocoa-nut covered with the husk, but Mr. Liesk assures me he has repeatedly M.,.i, the operation effected. The crab begins by tearing the husk, lil)re by Hbro and i,lA;,ys at that (ud under which the three eye-holes are When tliis is accom- plished, the anmial commences hammering with its heavy claws on one of these holes till anopeiiiug is made ; then, turning round its body, by the aid of its posterior and naiTow pair ol ]auccrs, it extracts the white allmminous substance of the nut. I tliiiik is as curious a case of instinct as ever was heard' of, and of a,i;iptation o. structure betwi-en objects apparently so remote from each other in the scJieme uf nature as a crab and a cocoa-nut tree. This crab is diurnal in its habits, but evciT ni"ht it ,s said to pay a visit to the sea, no doubt for the of moistening its branchl-e The young are likewise and live for some time on the coast These crabs urniihit deep burrows, which they excavate beneath the roots of trees and here thev aecuimilate sui'prismg quantities of the picked fibres asure between two and throe leet m h, and as it is stout in proportion to its length, it may rank with some of the largest ot the crustaceans. The abdomen is of a curious form
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, booksubj, booksubjectfishes, booksubjectmollusks
