The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1889-02-15
GRASS AND THEIR pzcULlAaIrlgs.
When 1t Sheds It's Shell Protective Pres
ence of a Frieud-Food.

When It Sheds It's Shell Protective Pres
ence of a Frieud-Food.
frank wilkeson in New York SUM-
When a crab sheds its shell. which il
does once month throughout the
warm season, it is probably the most
helpless creature in existence. 1t is
merely lump of delicate, soft flesh,
with soft, boneless legs attached. 1t is
as defenseless as a naked oyster would
be. Any fish could eat it. ANY sea-
spider or sea-hea could Kill it. 1t can
not move, as its sheathless legs are I'M
able to support its weight. Where the
water teens with fishes eager to devour
one another, and where cells, bloody
minded and ever hungry, ceaselessy
beat their feeding ground in search Of
food, 1t is surprising that crabs are not
e1terminated. They would be if it
were not for most marvellous provision
of nature. ! am told by truthful men
that when crab finds his shell too
small for him that, though usually the
most unsOcial and irritable OF creatures,
he makes signals of distress True to
the unWritten maritime law that gov
ems crab life, the first hardshell crab
that sees the plight that his brother is
in hastens to him.
Treasured by the protective presence
of his relative, the crab that has out
grown his clothes cunningly shucks
himself out of them. This operation is
watched with great interest and consid-
cradle excitement by the hard-shelled
crab. When completed so that the crab
lies unclad and helpless before him, he
does rot eat him, as one would expect
such a crossgrained and selfish creature
to do. He waits until the soft crab has
tucked his unprotected legs under him
and folded his claws, as though prayer
fully beseeching Divine protection, and
then he gently gets on top of his de-
fenceess relative. He 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, he will resolutely face any
thing that swims in the water, and |
fight with reckless courage. Eels, fish, |
anything and everything that swoops /
around the softshell crab will be fiercely |
attacked by the pop-eyed ad-tempered |
sentinel that is on duty. 1t is seldom |
that he will desert his post in the pres
ence of man. When a softshelled crab
is taken in a net, his protector is gem
orally secured also. If undisturbed by
man they do not leave their helpless
comrade until his shell is sufficiently
hard to enable him to protect himself
which Is generally in from three to four
days. Then he walks off sideways,
with his eyes sticking out and his claws
waving, as much as to say, eff you
look crooked at me, my little boy, I'll
come back and pinch you"
He knows that he has rendered a
great service to one of his kind, and he
conhdentially expects some other crab
no iY,t+ In, 1, 4
ice in his hour of need; but he wants no
tenderness, no loving thanks. He did
1t through his stern sense of duty He
knows his kind and knows that any
stranger crab he meets during his travels
Will answer his purpose as we'll as the
one he has befriended. So he sullenlv
retires to the shade afforded by bit of
seaweed and there devotes his attention
to catching something to eat.
Crabs have the peculiar property of
being able to shed, or throw or, their
limbs at will. They can, if it is ne ces-
sary to their safety, drop any or all
their legs, or either or both of their
claws. The mutilation is of but slight
as new legs or claws
speedily grow. 1t is no wonder
that they tight tiercely, since they
know that tie loss of limbs will not dis
asDAO SAACAA' 4 AtbNO SOClA SOLil kJdIdJLNtly /
small crabs firmly held by claw or leg
by larger ones. After struggling to free
themselves a minute, they would Throw
OFF the limb by which they were held,
and run away. Where many crabs are
confined in a box or basket, large num-
bers Of them will drop one or both claws
before they have been confined an hour.
If their legs and claws are tested when
they are first caught, it will be found
hat they are firmly attached to the
body of the crab. Pull on the legs, one
by one, and it will be seen that any leg
s sufficiently strong to hold up the
weight Of the crab. Take hold of one of
he strong 6ippers, the one you just
held him mp by, and hold him over the
water. There. he has thrown Off the
Upper, and has fallen into the water
md is off.
What do crabs eat2 Everything that
hey come across that they can chaw
from. Dead fish, dead
bits of meat or bread, vege-
ables, and some kinds of poorly pro /
ected shell fish. They have intelIi- {
,enoe, and can and do dig CLAIMS for
God. The soft shelled or long necked
lams burrow into the mud that lies on !
he bottom of the bays to the depth of
rom four inches to one foot. The
rabs know that soft-shelled CLANS can
lot shut their shells tightly, and that
hey can eat them. They find the clam
'ed, and, If the clans are not deeply