Then, if you like, you can throw a little sand and gravel into your tank, and the thing's complete." "Nay, not quite," said Peterkin, who had been gravely attentive to this off-hand advice, "not quite; you must first make three little men to dive in it before it can be said to be perfect, and that would be rather difficult, I fear, for two of them would require to be philosophers.

But hallo! what's this?
I say, Ralph, look here.

There's one o' your crabs up to something uncommon.

It's performing the most remarkable operation for a crab I ever saw,--taking off its coat, I do believe, before going to bed!" We hastily stooped over the tank, and certainly were not a little amused at the conduct of one of the crabs which still survived it companions.

It was one of the common small crabs, like to those that are found running about everywhere on the coasts of England.