The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1856-03-12
HOW APES CATCH CRABS.

A traveller in Java relates the follow
ing amusing scene, which he witnessed
in the company of some of the natives.
Afteriwalking close up to the old cam
! paigu, they were upont the point of turn
ing back, when young fellow emerged
from the .thicket, and said few word:
to the mandoor. The latter turned with
laugh to Frank, and asked him if he
had ever seen the apes catch crabs.
Frank replied in the negative, and the
mandooE taking his hand, led him gen
tly and cautiously through the deserted
-xillags5rso-a "a spot which the young fe1.
low had pointed out, and where the old
man had formerly planted hedges, rem
dering it an easy task for them to ap-
proach unobserved.
At length they reached the boundary
of the former settlement-a dry, sandy
soil, strip of beach, where all vegetation
ceased, and only single tall pandanus
tree, whose roots were thickly interlaced
with creeping plants, formed as it were
the advanced posts of the vegetable
kingdom. Behind this they crawled
along, and cautiously raising their heads,
they saw several apes, and at distance
of two or three hundred PAGES, who were
pertly looking for something as they
walked up and down the beach, while
othare ctocd motion1ess
1t was the long tailed, brown variety,
and Frank was beginning to regret that
hehadnot his telescope with him. to watch
the notions of them, whena tremendous
large fellow, began to draw nearer to
them. Carefully examining the ground,
over which he went with all fours, he
stood at intervals to scratch himself, or
to snap at some insect that buzzed around
him.
He came so close that Frank fanc;ed
that he must scent them, and give the
alarm to the other monkeys, when sud
denly passing over little elevation
covered with withered reedy grass, he
here discovered party of crabs, para
ding up and down on the hot sand With
bound he was amongst them, but not
quick enough to catch a single one; for
the crabs, though apparently so clumsy,
darted like lightning into a aquantity of
snail holes or cavities, which made the
ground here resemble seive, and the
ape could not thrust his paws after them,
for the orifce was too narrow.
The mandoor nudged Frank gently to
draw his attention, and they saw the ape,
after crawling once or twice up and down
the small strip of land peeping into the
various holes, with his nose close to the
ground, suddenly seating himself very
gravely by one of them, which he fancied |
most suitable. He then brought round |
his long tail to the front, thrust the end |
of it into the cavity, until he met with
an obstacle, and suddenly made face
which so amused Frank, that he would
have laughed loudly, had not the man
door raised his finger warnipgly-and
directly the ape drew out his extraordi-
nary line with jerk. At the end of it,
however, hung the desired booty, fat
crab By one of its claws, and swinging it
round on the ground with such violence
as to make it loose its hold, he took it
in his left paw, picked up stoue with |
he other, and after cracking the shell, |
ievoured the savory contents with evil
dent satisfaction. -
-Four or Ave he thus caught in sncces-
sion, on each occasion when the crab
nipped him, making a face of heroic re-
'iguation and pain, but each time he was
successful, and he must have found in
he dainty dish, and the revenge for the
nip, abundant satisfaction for the pain
10 endured, or else he would not have
jet to work again so soon. !: