The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1881-01-05
An OLD FeiiOp.


rcs lis house on his back, and has his |.
teeth on his legs.
That's II tough story, but-dcar me
its nothing to what you'll have to be-
lieye when you come to study the curl
ous creatures that live in the sea.
As 10 carrying his house about with
him, that is nothing new all crabs and
turtles do that, but ! must admit he's
the only fellow / ever heard of who has
teeth on his legs. If you and | are not
acquainted with him, it is merely be
cuuso we haven't been prying into the
domestic manners Of tho Gr6,5 family
all these years, as some scientific gen
tlemcn have. They have known about
him these many years, and he has oven
rot into dictionary. Look in Web
gter's big dictionary, Mt the word Linn
illus, and you'll SEQ n picture OF him.
Imuulus, you must know, is his grand
Lntin name, which he doesn't wear Mt
homo in the sea- There he is called
HorsG-Too! Grab, or King Grab.
And there's another droll thing about
him-hos just the shape Of the bottom
Of horses foot, with long, sharp tail
striking out at the heel. He's funny
sight when no is digging-and digging
is his special delight, / can tell you.
This shell is in two pieces; the front
pieco bends down and shoycls up the
dirt tho bacIs piece bends down the
other way, and the hard, sharp tail
braces against tho ground, while all his
fcct--cight or ten there are--throw out
the dirt on both Bidcs. 1t doesn't take
long for him 10 buuow into the mud out
OF sight.
But ! haven't told you about those
useful legs, which do the work of jaws,
beside their regular business of carry
ing their owner about.
There arc five pairB Of them, bcsldoa
short pnir in front, called foclorr, or an
tcnn3o, if you want the book nnmo. The
first four pairs are furnished with sharp
tacth-lols Of them, sometimes IA many
as 100.
when this comical gentleman wants
to cat, he scihcs n soft worm, or some
other sen dclicacy, with his two hind
feet, and holds it mp to his mouth, which
is conveniently placed among all these
useful legs. Then tho $50 sharp little
teeth go to work and rosp the food into
bits, and the mouth takes 1t up.
How do you suppose all TINS was
found outP A naturalist, who was curl
oas to sec what the hor5choof did with
the food that he always pulled under his
shell, waited TIL no was hard at work
uthis dinner, and then very cooIly turned
him over ON his back. Mr.. Limulus was
too busy to mind, 30 he went right on
eating, and the naturalist saw tho whole
performance.
But haven't told you half the won
derful things about him. When he is
first Matched he il II quarter OF nm inch
in diameter, has no TAIL and has shell
just the right size for him, Of course.
When he gots bigger he outgrows the
shell, MS you youngsters do your clothes,
and he has got to get out of the old suit.
It's very droll sight to SEQ him come
ont of himself in that way. He don't
have so much trouble about 1t as lob
stcrs and some other crabs do--he just
splits open the front edge Of his shell,
and pulls himself ont. But You know
he has been growing some time since
TINT baby suit fitted him, and tho fact
is he has been very much crowded these
last few days. SO, when he gets fnirly
out of the shell, he swells out an inch or
two bigger than he was before. and in
short time he has another shell big
enough for him, beside q little sharp
tail
SO he goes on as long rs he lives,
throwing off his old shells and getting
new ones.
This interesting little fellow is well
supplied with eyes, having two large
ones up high on the shell, to see all
about with, and two more in front.
must tell You how Mamma Horse
foot makes her nursery. In May or
June, when she has, perhaps, half pint
of eggs under her shell, and when the
tide is in--that is, tho water is up high
on tho shore-she comes up on the sand
as far as she can without getting ont OF
the water. She then digs hole, and
puts the eggs into it--ana that's just all
she does about it, and she never sees one
of the babies.
The next wave covers these eggs up
with sand, the hot sun matches them
out and the little ones know everything
belonging to crabs education, and
can take care of themselves the minute
they come out of the shell. But the
tlrollest part of the business is the be-
havior OF Mr.. Limulus. He wants to
sec that the eggs are properly laid in
The sand, and he doesn't want the