In 1986, Ivan Chase of Stony Brook University made the first
observations of hermit crabs exchanging shells in a «vacancy chain» — a term originally coined by social scientists to describe the ways that people trade coveted resources like apartments and jobs.
«The Stranger in the Woods» is a quick and entertaining read, fleshed out with interesting
observations about other famous historical
hermits, the age - old attraction
of solitude, and the effect
of the wilderness on the human psyche; but mostly, it's just enormously entertaining.