Arizona weekly journal-miner., 1892-05-04
WEE cAssIsAL HOLSTERS


 By invitation of well known natu- rallst had not long ago an opportunity to witness a curious sight in an aqua rum in which about hundred young lob~serS bad been placed
 Young lobsters are eannibais of the very worst type. and can give points to the most terrible lnaneafer In all Africa
 The iobsters had just passed out of tts swimming stage and wsrs seen crawling about ln she tank. The tank hsd gia~ sdes giving an excelient chance for observation. and it had capacity of about fifty gallons of water. At one side of the interior of the aqua, rum had been piled large stones. with fiaf aides. resting on sand. Tine sand was about two inches deep. covering the bottom
 My informant said that the frxt per fornanees of the yoang Iobsten when put into the tank were very interest ing They gathered around the sides of the rocks. and with their autenne almost against the stone. crossed their claws in front of them and moving backward dragged pinehes of sand away from the stone. This was re peHfed again and again until a hole had been made big enough to hold the little lobster with space to spare.
 Then the crusfscean climbed over the heap of sand into the excavation. and. turning his tail to the stone. pro cesded 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 90 that the sand could not slide back. In effect the claws served as a shovel
 After the Iobsters had in this man ner built for themselves caves for de fensivs purposes they planted them selves with their backs to the stone and kept their little black, beadlike eyes rowing outward in every direction
 When took my place to watch nothing was stirring.
 Now and then lobster would climb out of his retreat and explore the i'm mediate neighborhood.
 Suddenly. finding an intrenched lob ster. the errant adventurer would as sault 1t. Then would ensue the biggezt kind of rough and tumble. catch-as- catch-can contest It was a fight to the death.
 When the struggle was between only two Holsters the result was usually drawn battle. each retreating to his hole with the loss of claw or of one or two antenna.
 But when two or three Holsters at tackled one in his shallow cave the fight was soon over. The miserable victim was dragged out on the arena by the sharp pincer of the besiegen, and in trice he was killed. It re- quired but few minutes for the can nibals to dismember 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 was SO fortunate us to see an other raid but It was not like that de- scribed above. One of the lobsters 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 over the sand toward one corner of the aquarium After him went the pursuers helter skelter, and while the pursued resorted to dodging tactics that would be admired by football rusher. the pursuers separated and closed in around the doomed creature
 It is by curious instinct that the pursuit is made in the night because it Is evidently to the advantage of the puruer. on the principle in war that night attacks are more successful than those by daylight
 Marks of these midnight forays were to be found in the morning in the frsg nients of shells The result of canni. balism among the young lobsters is that out of hundred about twenty. five survive. a demonstrati0n of the Darwinian law of the survival of the Attest.
 In the cannibai stage of their ex- istence they are about three-quartes of an inch in length. and when the sur vivors grow to be two and half inches tn length from the tail to the tip of the claws they have outgrown their blood thirsty insfincfs Nav York Herald