The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1884-02-28

titles of them are killed heforo -
their full size. To protect tb ssenllg
nom destruction BY this loss u N. taes
erustaceans produce immense a,. .,,s, al
of eggs. danttlez
Young crabs are so unl;ka Il.
grown ones that naturalists ~ lall-
thought they belonged to d itgasay
class OF animals. AS soon as tbar ~
born they rise to the surface q aie
water, and swim about freely = an .ae
passing through several chances Ai !.
body becomes large and beavr -S ~. ne
the head, and the young cra6s slI o.:
the power of swimming. SIM loS.lg
bottom, where they hide Tor awbilo '1e
they gain in size and strength, and {. g
ready to begin their new mann s sls !.
flVlng, they creep toward the sha, =
ana most OF them pass the rest If NM,
days in shallow water AMONG H. ' as
weed. In the tropics some sSeeies ia ia
in the fresh-water of brooks ma 9t' ,:,. W.
Others live in the shades Of damn 49, W
ests; still. when breeding-time arr;, -.
they visit the sea-shore to deposit tbei.
eggs 'ueR
The land-crabs of Jamaica evan N.
on the mountain-tops, vet every v ,sss
they yield to longing for thar s,
old home, and come down \
the shores of the Caribbean Ss ~
to lay their eggs. Tais duty PERFORMS al
they return again to the mountains
The hermit-crab is always an uhieo.
of interest. Unlike other crusfsce9ns
it has no shell to protect the soft bodv'
and a tempting morsel is thus exnosea
The hermit, conscious of its weak point
seeks shelter by taking possession II
some spiral shell in which to placa n
soft abdomen. The hard claws and tha
first two pairs of feet generally hang ont
| over the edge of the shell, which h. nca.
/ forth moves aboUtuponthec crab bach i
ifthe two belonged together. Theshorter
hind-feet are roughened, enabling the
crab to hold on the inside of the sheD
and it clings so tightly that it will some.
times allow itself to be torn in pieces
rather than outfits hold.
As the hermit grows it needs to HIM.
up larger home, and it may be seen
creeping along the shore, examining
and turning over shells to select ope
often trying on several before It 4
suited-much as boy might try on
several pairs of boots before he is fitted
exactly. Should hermit fancy tbe
shell of some living snail, it would not
hesitate, | am sorry to say, to kin and
eat the owner, and then coolly take
possession of the shell. Two hermits
are sometimes found fighting for The
same shell.
Fiddler-crabs have one claw much
larger than the other, and as they wall,
sideways they hold up the large claw in
a threatening manner. They dig holes ii
the mud to live in, and they enter these
homes with extreme caution. Running
quickly to the entrance, they pause
awhile. turn their stalked eyes in eyerg
direction, and then dart suddenly in.
They are not easily caught, for they
dart into their holes quickly when
alarmed.
The fiddler-crab is a striking illustra.
ton of the effect of use upon any one
organ. The large claw SO peculiar Ia
this group belongs only to the males
who are great fighters. They use The
large claw in their combats, which faei
accounts for its increased size, and also
for the absence of a large claw in ths
more peaceable females.
Many of you have seen the littleround
crabs that live in oyster shells. These
pea-crabs, or oyster-crabs, as they srt
called, are cons dered great delcacy
and they are sometimes collected anC
sold by the dozen. Having no hard
covering. they always take up theil
abode within the shell of the oyster o.
some other bivalve. They are no
prisoners within the shell, as thel
venture out into the water sometimes
and return again when they wish to.
They are said not to annoy the oyste
in the least, or to deprive it o
any of its food, since they eat certain
small animals which float into the shell
but which the oyster never leeds upon
Strange to say, it is only the female Ina
shuts herself up within an oyster shell
The male is much smaller and frolic
about on the surface of the sea. --Sardi
Cooper, in Harp,r's Young People.