OCR Text |
Show I LIVES IN BORROWED SHELL Hermit Crab Has Peculiar Habit of Seeking Out Sheila of Dead Mol-.' Mol-.' ' lutks for Domicile. ' ;.' The most peculiar tiling about the I hermit crab Is his curious habit of living in the shell of dead molluska. Bis motive Is to protect his hind-body. The fore part of his anatomy Is cov-j cov-j ered with a thick, horny crust. His abdomen Is soft and invested with a delicate membrane. The slightest rup- ture or abrasion to this abdomen cov-, cov-, erlng is almost certain to be fatal. With Its belly, the hermit crab holds on to Its portable home. Occasionally ' It will change one acquired shell for another. When exchanging shells It must act with utmost caution and dispatch dis-patch lest It be harmed by some enemy who may be lurking near. This exchange is often made at the mere whim of the animal, but after each moulting is compelled to find a larger home to accommodate Its grow 1 lng body. |