Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1860-10-19
How Apes Catch Crabs.

aE5Et''a How Apes Catch Crabs.
TN Frank Wildman's Adventures" we
find the following amusing account of the
manner in which apes capture crabs, and
sometimes catch Tartar. a.; 5. ssg ..-,i
At length they reached the boundary of
the former scttlement--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 posts
Of the vegetable kingdom. Behind this they
crawled along, and cautiously raising their
heads, they saw several apes at distance of
two or three hundred PAGES, who were partly
looking for something as they walked up and
down the beach, while others stood motion
less. 1t was the long tailed brown variety,
and to watch the movements of these strange
beings more closely, when one of them, tre-
menduously large fellow, began to draw nca'.
or to them. Carefully examining the ground
over which he went on all fo,irs, he stood at
intervals to scratch himself, or to snap at
some insects that buzzed around him. He
came up SO close that Frank fanced that he
must scent them and give the alarm to the
other monkeys, when suddenly passing over
a little elevation covered with withered, reedv
grass, he discovered party of crabs parading
up and down on the hot sand. With bound
he was among them, but not quick enough
to catch single one; for the crabs, though
| apparently SO clumsy, darted like lightning
into quantity of small holes or cavities,
which made the ground here resemble sieve
and the ape could not thrust his paw after
them, for the orificcs were too narrow. '''r
The mandoornudged 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 pccping into the various
holes, with his nose close to the ground, sud
denly seat himself very gravely by one of
them, which he fancied most suitable. Ho
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 warningly--and directly af-
ter, the ape drew out his extraordinary line
with jerk. AT the end, 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 lose its hold, he
took it in his left paw, picked up stone in
the other, and after cracking the shell, de-
youred the savory contents with evident signs
of satisfaction. gTfa na8 'aEti @..1.>~f
Four or five, he thus caught in succession,
on each occasion when the crab nipped him,
making 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 cndured-or else he would not have set
to work again so soon. ...-. ....... ..s.
Thus the ape, quite engaged with the
sport, and without taking his eye off the
ground had approached to within about twen-
ty PAGES of the party concealed behind the
pandanus tree Here again the ground was
/ full of holes, and looking at the one conject
urcd to be the best, he threw in his line once
more, and probably felt there was something
alive within, for he waited the result with
signs Of the most eager attention. The af
| fair however, lasted longer than he had an
ticipated but being already tolerably filled
by his successful hauls, he pulled up his
knees, laid his long arms upon them, bowed
his head, and half closing his eyes, he as
s,imed such resigned, and yet exquisitely
1 comical face, rs only an ape is capable Of put
ting on under these circumstances. But his
quiet was destined to be disturbed in man
ner as unexpected as it was cruel; he must
have discovered some very interesting object
in the clouds, for he was staring up there
fixedly, when he suddenly uttered a loud
veil, left hold, of his knees, felt with both
hands for his tail, and made bound in the
air. as If the ground under him was begin
ming 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 q loud laugh. The
mandoor at first retained his gravity; but