The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1885-10-14
cRAss AND Their eacuLNslrlEs
When It Sheds Ii Shell Protective Pres.
enoo Of FIlsAd-Food.
IFTahk Wllnlsn o NeN u. snl.

enoo OF \ Rfiohd-EOOd.
fFrshk wHts1an "a yev Yors sul.l
When a crab sheds It's she'll, which Il
does once a month throughout the
warm season, It is PROBABLY the most
helpless creature inS existence. Il is
merely a lump Of delicate, soft fosh,.
with soft, bonelesS legs attached. his
as defenEelcss as q naked oyster would
be. ANY fish could oat II. Amy sea.
spider or Soa.aca could ill Il. 1t can
not move, as is Sheaihless legs arc un.
atle to support It's weight. Where the
water teens with fishes eager to deyour
one another, and where eels, bloody
minded and ever hungry, ceaselessy
beat thplr feeding ground il search OF
food, it is surprising that crabs are not
terminated. They would DO il It
wers not Tor a most marvellous provision
Of nature, | am told by truthful men
that when o crab finds his shsll too
sma,l Tor him taat though usually tba
most unsOgial and irritable OF creatures,
DO makes signals Of distress True to
the unwritten maritime law that gpS-
erns crab life, the frst hardsheil crab
that soes the plight that his brother IS
IN n'haStgns t0ahll.
Treasured by the protective presence
Of his relative, the urag that his out
grown his clothes cunningly shucks
himself out Of them. This operation is
watched with great interest aud rOnsid-
cradle excitement by the hard-shelled
crab. When completed so that the crab
lies unClad AMI help.ess before him, he
does not eat him, as enc would expect
such a croSsgrained and selfish creature
to do. He waits until tho soft crab has
tucked his unprotected legs under him
aud folded his llaws, as though prayer.
fully tesoeching ivinO protection, and
then he gently gets on top OF his do.
lenceless relative. lie carefully places
his long legs under him, and hugs him
lightly and lovingly to his breast.
The hardshelled crab stands, or rather
lies, on his post OF duty stanchly. When
on guard, ho will resoIutely face any.
thing that swims in the water, and
6ght with reckless courage. Eels, fish,
anything unl ever rything thdt swoops
around the so!tshell crab will be ficrcely
attacked by the pOp-eyed, bad.temperGd
sentinel that is on duty. 1t is seldom
that he will desert his post in the pres.
encc Of man. When a Softshelied crab
is taken in net, his protector is gen.
urally secured also. If undisturred uy
man they do not leave their helpless
romrade until his shell is sufficiently
hard TO enable him to protect himself,
which is generally in from three to four
lays. Then he walks oil sideways,
with his eyes sticking out and his claws
waving, az much as to say, "lf You
looE crooked ut me, my little boy, Ill
come back and pinch you"
lie knows that hO has rendered q
great service to one OF his kind, and he
cOnhdentially expects some other crab
tO renlcr him the same in aluable serv-
ice in his hour OF nCed; but he wants no
tenderness, no loving thanks. lie did
1t through his stern sense OF duty. He
knows his kind, and knows that any
stranger crab he meets during hlstrayes
will answer his purpose rs well as the
one no has bOfrended. 20 no sullenlS
rOtires to the shade Afforded IY q bit Of
TeawUed and there deyOtes his attention
to catching something TO eat.
Lraos have tho peculiar property Of
being able to shed, or throw oil, their
limbs at will. they can, II it is neces.
sOry to their safety, drop any orall
their legs, or either or 10th Of their
claws. The mutIlation is Of hut slight
consequence, Us new legs or claws
speedily grow. 1t Is no wonder
that they fight iierccly, since they
know that the iOss Of limbs will not dis.
able them. | nave seen comparatively
small cIAbs Erlnly held by claw or leg
by larger ones. After struggling to free
themselves a minute, they would throw
oil the limb BY which they were held,
and run AVA, Where many crabs arc
confined in a Iox or basket, large nun.
Lers OF them will drop one or 10th claws
before they have been confined an hour.
II their legs and claws are tested when
they are first caught, it will be found
that they arc tirAly attached to tho
body Of the crab. Full on the legs, one
by one, and il will 10 seen that any leg
Is sufficiently strong to hold up the
weight Of the crab. Take hold Of one OF
the strong ilippers, the Que you Just
held him u by, and hold lin over tho
water. There he has thrown OIL the
Ripper, and has fallen into the water,
and is OIL.
! What do crabs catl Every thing that
they come across that they can chaw
jnonrishmCn, from Lead fish, dead
animals, bits OF mot or bread, Yege.
tables, and some kinds Of poorly pro.
tectGd shell fish. They have intelli.
gence, and can and 10 dig clans for
food. Tie soft shelled or long.necked
CLANS bugrow into the mud that lies on
the lotion OF the bays to the depth Of
from four inches to ono foot. The
crabs know that soft.shOlled clans can
not shut their shells tightly, and that
they can eat them. They find the clam
bed, and, il tho clans arc not deeply
buried, they dig them up and eat them.
Vegetable ShoCp Of New Zealand.
[Artnnsaw Trave cr.l
On Mount Torlesse, in New Zealaud,
grows a singular plant, specimens Of
which aru known as vegetable sheep. -
Tho plant beongS to the Uudweed tribe,
and Is described by q recent botanical
explorer rs growing on loose debris at
an attitude OF i,5JO to G,OOO feet, and
forming round or kidney.shaped