New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1859-11-22
How Apes Catch Crabs.

In q Frank Wildman's Adventures y we find the
following amusing account Of the manner in which
apes capture crabs and sometimes catch Tartar:
Atlength they reached the boundary of the for
mer settlement-a dry, sandy soil and 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 post of the vegetable kingdom. Be-
hind this they crawled along, and cautiously rails
ing their heads, they saw several apes, at a dis
lance Of two or three hundred PAGES, who were
partly looking for something as they walked up
and down the beach, while Others stood motionless.
1t was the long-tailed, brown variety, and Frank
was beginning to regret that he had not ms tel
escope with him to watch the movements of these
strange beings more closely, when one of them, a
tremendously large fellow, began to draw nearer
to them. Carefully examining the ground over
which he went on all fours. he stood at intervals to
scratch himself, OF to snap at some insect that
buzzed round him. He came up so close that
Frank fancied he must scent them and give the
alarm to the other monkeys, when, suddenly pass
ing over a little elevation covered with withered,
reedy grass, he discovered party of crabs parad-
ing up and down on the hot sand. With bound
he was amongst them, but not quickly enough to
catch single one for the crabs, though appa-
rently so clumsy, darted like lightning into guam
tity Of small holes or cavities, which made the
ground here resemble sieve, and the ape could
not thrust in his paw after them, for the orifces
were 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
and peering into the various holes, with his nose
close to the ground, suddenly seat 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 a
face, which so amused Frank that he would have
laughed loudly, had not the mandoOr raised his
finger warningy, and directly after The ape drew
out his extraordinary line with jerk. At the end
nf; baxr hup thp at aral,
by one of its claws; and swinging round on the
ground with such violence as to make it loose its
hold he took it in his left paw, picked up stone
in the other, and after cracking the SHE'LL devoured
the sayory contents with evident signs of satisae
ton.
Four or five he thus caught in succession, on
each occasion when the crab nipped him making
a face of heroic resignation and pain; but each
time he was successful, and he must have found in
the dainty dish and the revenge for the nip,
abundant satisfaction for the pain he endured,
or else he would not have set to work again so
soon.
and without taking his eye off the ground, had
to within about twenty PAGES of the
party concealed behind the pandanus tree Here
again the ground was full of holes, and looking out
the he conjectured to be the best, he threw in
his line once more, and probably felt there was
alive within, for he awaited the result
with signs of the most eager attention. The affair,
however, lasted longer than he had anticipated ;
but being already toerably filled by his past sue
ecssful hauls, he pulled up his knees, laid his long
arms upon them, bowed his head and half closing
his eyes, he assumed such resigned and yet ex-
quistely comica face, only an ape is capable of
putting on under these circumstances. But his
quiet was destined to be disturbed in a manner as
as it was cruel; he must have dis
covered some very interesting object in the clouds,
for he was staring up there very fixedly, when he
suddenly uttered loud YELL left hold of his knees,
felt with both hands for his tail, and made bound
,1fr1 bnfr
to grow red-hot. At the end of his tail, however,
hung gigantic crab, torn with such desperate
energy from his hiding place, that Frank could not
restrain himself any longer, but burst into loud
laugh The mandoor at first retained his gravity ;
but when the ape, alarmed by the strange sound,
looked up in spite of his pain and saw men, and
then bounded off at full speed, with his tormentor
still dangling at the end Of his tail, the old man
could no longer refrain either, and they both
laughed till the tears ran down their cheeks