The Rugby gazette and east Tennessee news. (Rugby, Morgan Co., Tenn.) 1884-188?, 1885-09-12
APES FISHING / JR CRABS.

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APES FISHING JR CRABS.
A Java Species That Sacrifices It's Comfort
to Its Palate-An Able Bodied Grab.
"They have on the coast OF Java
peculiar long-tailed ape, and sand
crab that grows to an extraordinary
size and possesses great strength in its
claws" said a gentleman who lived in
Java years ago. "The apes are par
ticularly fond of the crabs, which are
very shy and wonderfully quick in their
movements They live in deep holes
in the sand, but spend much of their
time on the outside of their holes
where they run and hop about. They
range in size from that of a silver dol
lar to that of our edible crabs. Their
claws are not large, but have grip
that is vise-like. The apes make daily
raids on the haunts of the crabs,
and occasionally succeed, by creeping
stealthily to within few feet of
group of them, in springing upon them
and capturing one before they have
scampered to their holes. Usually,
however, the crabs are so wary that
while the ape is still in the air during
his spring toward them, they have sep
arated and disappeared into the
ground. The ape, finding himself too
slow to make capture, then resorts to
bit of strategy to secure dinner His
mode of final capture intlicts upon him
a pang of physical suffering which is
frequently more than he can BEAR but
his love for the crab as morsel of food
is so strong that he never hestates to
accept the personal discomfort which
its capture involves, and usually bears
it with stoicsm which might inspire
admiration If it were not for its conf
cal side.
when the ape finds that he is foiled
in his effort to capture crab by spring
ing at group, he backs himself up to
hole into which one has disappeared
Sitting down, he thrusts his long tail
into the hole. The crab, to punish
such unwonted intrusion, seizes the end
of the tail in its strong claws the mo-
ment it approaches near enough. Any
one who may have been so fortunate
as to hide himself in the bushes unob-
served by the ape making the raid, will
have hard time to restrain his laughter
when the critical moment of contact
between the crabs claw and the apes
tail is reached. There is look Of
comical suspense on the apes face as
he thrusts his tail down into the hole.
When the crab closes on the tail the ex-
preston of suspense departs. The ape
gives an involuntary start, and then set
ties back on his launches, while he
closes his teeth together with deter
mined air, and eventually, springing
forward, out comes the tail from the
hole, with the crab dangling to it. In
stantly the ape swishes his tail forward
and brings the crab to the ground with
a force that stuns it and causes il to
drop its grip. With a stone the ape
smashes the shell of the crab, and is
soon picking out the meat and proceed
ing with his meal.
Zone day l was watching a
large ape fishing in this way for
crabs. The apes are as shy as
the creatures they hunt so persistently.
and the least sound from the brush will
send them scampering away. The ape
l was watching made a dismal failure
of his attempt to spring on crab, and
at once proceeded to fish one out of a
hole. He selected hole into which ]
had seen very large crab disappear,
and l anticipated fun. The apes tail
had gone its full length into the hole
before his face indicated that the crab
had made its connection. Suddenly he
gave a start and a yell. He bent his
body nearly double, and slapped his
hands on his knees and waSged his
head, with his teeth closed tight and
his lips drawn down, while on his face
was look of agony and despair doub
ly intensified. He made several at
tempts to withdraw his tail, but fel
.. back each time and howled as the cral
drew it taut Tears actually ran dowr
the ludicrous face of the suffering ape
and when he clapped both hands to hi
! forehead and swayed his body tt
and fro like little old man tortured
by the toothache, bowling dismally tn
while, could no longer restrain my
self, and yelled with laughter. Thi
frightened the ape, and he gave quicl
!, spring forward. Out came the cral
and away went the ape. The era
hung to the tail, and as far as coul'
see maintained its hold, in spite of tn
way it was dashed and trailed as the ap
, flew over the ground, yelling at ever
9 Jump. He disappeared in the THO
t brush, but how he Invested himself c
1 the crab never knew. IN Y. Sun.