Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-07-12

Model makers and patent agents are ire
| quently violently abused by inventors Tor
constructing unsuccessful models or for
| venturing 10 doubt the value OF original
ideas. BY the way, the latest thing In the
| inventive line to appear in Washington
| during the recent hot weather was fan for
an attachment 10 the steering piece OF
bicycle, to revolve automatically and keep
| the, rider cool as he proceeds along the
asphaltum streets upon the flying wheel.
EXHIBITION OF TRILoBITEs.
The most wonderful exhibition Of crabs
and Holsters ever seen in this world will be
placed on permanent view in Washington
as soon as the Smithsonian Institution gets
its new building. AT present the collection
is stored away out of sight for want of space
to show it properly. In this exhibition
will be displayed for the instruction of the
nation members of the crustacean family
that were actually alive during the earliest
geological epoch-2O, 600, 900 Of years ago.
These 'trilobites," as they are called,
were cotemporary with the earliest crea-
lures that lived upon the earth. They are
taken out of the rock to-day as perfect as
when they were enclosed in the shelly mud
200, 900 centuries ago; the very facets Of their
| eyes are as distinct as in life. II you like,
you may find any number OF their direct de-
scendants 10 the horse shoe crabs on the sea-
| beach. The horseshoe crabs, indeed, may
| fairly be called the oldest creatures in the
world, being but q slightly modified trilo-
bite and thus representing the very most
ancient family that anything is known
about. In comparatively modern times,
only Is, 10000 of years ago, some crusta-
ceans attained great size. Frogs in these
days used to grow as big as men are now and
thought nothing of hopping two or three
| nlrcSd diefa Mt
| of things gigantic, and lobster-like crea-
ture six feet in length, called the "Ptery-
getus, prowled the wattery shadows then
in search OF prey.
LoBSTERS OF GREAT LENGTH.
1t is not SO very many years now since
Holsters were captured weighing as much as
40 pounds apiece. There, is one such in the
Smithsonian collection, three feet long in
the body and with claws big and strong
enough to crush your clenched fist. Un-
fortunately, the business of Holsters has
|, been carried on for O century or so past with
so much eagerness that all the big ones
pretty nearly have been taken and eaten.
To find giant crustacean to-day, you
must 20 to the eastern shore of Asia, where
disports himself the enormous Japanese
crab, which has claws which spread II feet.
Even the crabs of Rider Haggard's fancy
reality. One OF the most extraordinary Of
the SmithsoEian's specimens is "cocoanut
crab'-a tremendously powerful looking
creature, SO big that when tightly folded up
it will fill four gallon glass jar. This is
the crab that climbs the cocoa
nut tree, and after plucking
the fruit, tears off the outer husk with its
mighty claws, and then sknocks in the shell
in one of the 'eyes, subsequently digging
out the meat with the long and narrow pair
Of pincers provided by nature for this pur-
pose. The cocoanut crab inhabts the
islands Of the Indian Ocean. 1t accumu-
lates surprising quantities OF the picked
fibers Of the cocoanut which ii uses as a bed;
the flesh is very good to eat and under It's
tail is a mass of fat which sometimes yields
as much as quart OF limpid oil. Among
OTHER STRANGE GRABS
In the Smithsonian collection is a smaller
variety oi this saine species, which lives In a
burrow Ht the root Of fruit tree. Then
there is the "paihted crab" Of the West
Indies, which Is land animal IL used to
exist there In countless numbers, and i'm
dulged annually In a migration TO the
sea coast, moving always In compact
army, During such iHigfati6hs they
we're caught In great numbers, and
80 have beegihe ahiest extinct, A crab
ifeH the Dafbad6es IL remarkable fef its
swiithess In running, which has given IL the
mime ef the "hefsefhaH crab" The
''deFiHBe" Is a species OF crab quite RieBt=
iui on lhe sheFes Of the Adfiatie, which has
i've legs Oh its baeh=a great convenience,
since, if turned bottom side up, he can run
just ss we'll that way,
10 attempt 10 give q list of all the aussT
crabs 10 be inund IN the world, would be
absurd, however, One remarkable speei.
men In the Smithsonian collection is entire
ly covered with what looks like whilish
moss, but 10 Ia reality something beiwsen
the vegetable and the animal, All crabs of
that variety have coat Of this
sort 10 renden them indslinRush.
able by their enemies aud un-
recognizable by their prey. Another kind
ol crab Ia always covered with growing
sponge, save his eyes, antennae and the tips
Of his claws. lie hides In creyleea where
sponge grows among the rocks and becomes
~ much like them ~ he knows how.
PECULIAR PACIFIC PRODUCTS.
A crab from the Pacific coast ID IN nyarIably
found with sea anemones growing all over
his back and legs Another from the same
region has large tubes with which ID sucks
water into its lungs by way of breathing.
still another California crab has n yery
neatly made snnii-boX underneath its body.
for holding eggs, which closes with q snap
fastening just like real snuif.box. A crab
with long beak and legs that look like
straws 10 also from the Pacific.
One of the tiercest crabs known is plenti-
full on the coast OF South America. IL is
called the rock crab" and hides In creyices
among stones. II Is captured usually by
dropping q hook on the end Of q string into
its lair, when 1t will seize the hook In anger
and permit itself to be hauled out by its own
grip, which is so strong that the claw will
still bite powerfully alter it has been pulled
off from the animal. A funny crab is the
"wessmate, which one finds in oysters; it
does not harm the bivalve, but merely lives
in the shell with II and feeds upon what
ever the oyster gets to eat There are good
many very surprising crabs already on ex-
hibition in the Smithsonian; some of them
are sufficiently big and horrible of aspect to
repay visit.
Since 1885 the Fish Commission has been
engaged at Woods Hall, Mass, in propa.
eating young Holsters by hand, to plant in
the New England waters which the fisheries
have depleted to such an extent that lob
Sters may almost be said to have been driven
out Of that aqueous region.
SUCCESSFUL LOBSTER CULTURE.
In 1880 the Cape Cod Lobster Fishery.
which at one time supplied the New York
market almost wholly, gave employment to
only three or iour men. Each wear since
then the number of Holsters captured per
trap set has been steadily reduced. Mean
while, however, the Fish Commission has
been Matching and letting loose along the
shore millions OF young Holsters. It's work
has not as yet had time TO exhibit visible |
effect for the simple reason that the |
Holsters thus propagated by hand have not
had time to grow to any size. 1t takes six
or seven years for a newly-hatched lobster |
to obtain length OF 10 inches But il is |
expected that the hoped-ior results will soon |
show themselves, as has been the case with |
cod artifcially hatched. So plentiful have
young cod become, owing to the commits. |
son's efforts in this way, that fishermen
have been seriously annoyed by them of |
late through the nibbling Off of theirbaits.
Last wear the station at Woods Holl lib. |