Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1885-07-06
TnE KING Or CRABS.
Crusancenmu VIVA Claws Tea Fee1
s<ome spice aaanma ssRlnm.v

templated stepping down and ont,
come down into the cabin, and I'll show
you something that tops the whole crab
business. .
The visitors followed the skipper be-
low, and found themselves III large.
Foomy cabin, as tastefully fitted up as
shore parlor. That the captain was =
lover Of nature was evident, as the walls
were well covered with the results Of his
collecting expeditions. Hanging from
the ceiling was large swinging aqua
rum, In which were several fishes
brought from Japan. A huge dried Ply
salin stood out like an enormous purple
soap bubble against the wall, while groups
of swords, sawIish SHOUTS, shark Jaws,
! pIeted the decoration of the floating
museum
There's my pet, said the skipper,
pointing to an object that looked ike a
huge spider hung against the wall II
wouldn't take q thousand dollars for it,
that Is, as / feel now. Yes, it's q crab.
Stand up alongside
One Of the visitors placed himself
alongside of the animal. The biting
claws was seen to be about ten feet in
length, aud when they were stretched
out, as they often are at full length
when the animal is feeding, the distance
between the lips would have been about
twenty two feet. In appearance, the
creature, whose name i'm the language OF
science was Inachus Kalinferi. although
recent works give il even another, was
terrific; il looked like gigantic spider.
The body was nearly round, and might
have passed for q mOss-covered rock or
gigantic edition of the C0ney Island
lady crab. TWAS covered with rough
spines, and near the eyes projected two
sharp satanic horns. In size the body
was abouttwice the size Of mans hat,
and from it branched the ten long spider
arms, the first pair being the length
given, and the others gradually growing
shorter and shorter, until finally the last
pair were about third the size Of the
first.
"Well, what do you think Of it9r
asked the captain.
Isn't it made of paper, and didn't it
come from some dime museum2n asked
a visitor, who was armed with q Fiji
spear taken from rack.
You had better arm yourself, " replied
the skipper. taking down the crab.
.''Look it over well, and if you don't be-
lieve it's crab, go TO the Harvard
museum. They have pretty good sized
one there. The Central Park museum
has the bono of ono that will make
good hat, and Professor Ward, the
geologist, Of Rochester, has perfect
one with legs complete. You can buy
them from him at, say, twelve hundred
dollars dozen-that is, If he will SELL
/ picked this one up all by accident.
was going through fishing town and
saw some of these claws leaning mp
against house, and, not thinking what
they were. picked one up, and then real
lied that IL was the claw Of q crab It
would have made very good club in a
free fight. found that they were caught
off shore, and left an order for the big
gcst one they could get, and this Is the
result. Whether they grow any larger
or not don't know, but il / was diver
aud should meet ore / think / should
give up or git, as they say. But they
are undoubtedly inoffcnsive creatures,
very slow of movement, and are easily
caught. | have heard that they come
ashore at night, and are caught in that
way.
"Thcy have curious crab IN the Spice
Islands, continued the skipper, rehang-
ing tho sea-spider. ssThoy call il the
palm crab the scientific name is
Birgas latro. / was visiting friend
there and one night he asked me
If wouldn't like to take look at his
lligs that were being fattened for the
table. / said certainly, and out we went
10 a sort,of pen made Of bamboo and
what do you suppose he had Crabs2
Yes, these palm crabs. They were Spice
Island pigs, aud reckon some of them
weighed a matter Of twelve pounds,
others five or six. They were curious
things, and looked like half spider and
half crab. If you have ever seen her
NIT crab out OF its shell, try to imagine
one with its tail covered with hard plates
and about five times as large ais any
thing you ever saw. Give it great red
claws, throw in lot OF short hairs,
bristles and feelers, and you have the
palm crab. When | first saw one it re-
minded me Of these fantastic figures
that hop out of boxes when you raise
the lid The palm crabs are found in
various countries of the East, and al
ways in holes at the foot Of palm trees,
and to give you an idea Of the amount
Of nuts they cat, the MaIays make a
regular business Of collecting the husks
which they find in the nests and making
them into mats and various articles Of
domestic use. You might wonder how
the crabs get at the nuts; they climb the
trees and twist them off with
their big claws, and If you
have ever tried to do the same with
your hands you will appreciate the
strength 81 the crab. Sometimes the
nut is brought down, but often dropped.
the crab following it down. Il then
tears off the husk with its big claws, al
WAYS com1pencinu at the end at which
the two holes are placed, and when they
come into view It brings one Of its small
rear claws into play and runs It in and
picks ont the meat. Sometimes they
break the shell b hammering il on