The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1891-10-23

chance for observation. and it had a
capacity of about fifty gallons of water.
At one side of the interior Of the aqua
rum had been piled large stones, with
Hat sides. resting on sand. The sand
was about two inches deep covering
the bottom.
My informant said that the first per-
for'nances of the young HOLSTERS when
put into the tank were very interest
Ing. They gathered around the sides
OF the rocks. and with their autennH
almost against the stone. crossed their
claws in front of them and moving
backward dragged pinches Of sand
away from the stone. This was 10
peated again and again until a hole
had been made big enough to hold the
little lobster with space to spare.
Then the crustacean climbed over
the heap of sand into the excavation,
and. turning his tail to the stone, pro
ceeded to push the particles from the
bottom Of the hole to the top Of the
heap by placing its two claws together
with the tips tapping 10 that the sand
could not slide back. In effect the
claws served ~ a shovel.
After the Holsters had In this man
ner built for themselves caves for de-
fensive purposes they planted them
selves with their backs to the stone
aud kept their little black. beadlike
eyes rowing outward In every direction.
When I took my place to watch
nothing was stirring.
Now and then a lobster would climb
out of his retreat and explore the Inn
mediate neighborhood.
Suddenly. finding an intrenched lob
ster, the Grant adventurer would a.
sault It. Then would ensue the biggest
kind Of 4 rough and tumble, catch-as-
catch-can contest 1t was a fight to
the death.
When the struggle was between only
two Holsters the result was usually a
drawn battle, each ~retreating to his
hole with the loss of a claw or Of one
or two antenn@.
But when two or three Holsters at
tackled one In his shallow cave the
6ght was soon over. The miserable
victim was dragged out on the arena
by the sharp pincers Of the besiegerA
and in a trice he was killed. 1t re-
quired but a few minutes for the can
nibals to dismeniber and eat up their
victim, dragging the bits to different
parts Of the aquarium, as dogs would
bones.
These attacks are always made at
night. wa SO fortunate as to see an
other raid, but It vas not like that de-
scribed above. One Of the Holsters
that had emerged from his lair in pur.
suit Of food was himself pursued in
turn. Caught mapping away from his
castle by three or four enemies. it scut-
tied W the sand toward one corner
Of the aquarium. After him went the
pursuers heller SHELTER, and while the
pursued resorted to lodging tactics
that would be admired by a football
rusher, the pursuers separated and
closed in around the doomed creature.
1t is by a curious instinct that the
pursuit is made in the night. because II
Is evidently to the advantage Of the
pursuer, on the principle in war that
night attacks are more successful than
those by daylight. ,a,
Marks of these midnight fosays were
to be found in the morning in the frag
ments Of shells. The result Of canni.
balism among the young Holsters Is
that out Of a hundred about twenty.
five survive, q demonstration of the
Darwinian law Of the survival OF the
1ttest.
In the cannibal stage Of their ex
htenee they are about three-quasterl
Of an inch in length. and when the sur
vivors grow to be two and u half inche.
In length from the tail to the tip Of the
claws they have outxrown their blood
thirsty instincts. New York Herald.