The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1892-02-04
NJ ca s-L LeasTERs.

80 = ! eRS.
,:.ey t.ss.s i, ,,s.... :. INC. The,
l.--..t :" Iso .e..r:f.i i;:.a.s.
FH ,ifNs'.'s:,.I. - i ~td 4.ilawn lata
s;;.-' is::.i az !'.is.s %. ttiity
I" ~.lI.,-ss ii e.I;rrs,,, ,..,i "a All aqua
rl,iui !. wii. a s.l,,,;a :, ili;1l,irp,: yoang
i"ir,tcre ll,,,i been !.;,s:-,-,l.
lortfIs> t.:ti,tt,~ ar,. t:.,In-,!.:,i, OF the
very ws'isi type. and can x " points to
tile most trri '.js i!ii.;.stt-G all Africa
The ioi,>ter~ had Just PASSED cat OF
the swimming stage and were. seen
crawling about III the tank Tile 4; (
had Si;iss sides giving III excellent
clI;tnct' tOf observation, anal il had a
raiacIty OF about fifty gallons of water
Al one side. of the interior %. the aqua
rum had been piled large .toues, with
haf sides resting on sand The sand
was about two inches deep covering
the bottom
My informant SAID that tie first per
forIlal:ces OF the young Holsters when
put into the tank were very interest
ing They gathered around the sides
OF the rocks ans! with THEN autennH
slliost against tine stone. crossed their
backward dragged g,iil' : of sand
away from the STONE This was re-
peated again and again Hntil a hole
had been inu.le biz eiIt,uaiI to hold the
little lot,'tr, with siEtcs. TO spare
Then the cr,tSt;tct+ti climbed over
s!ie heap OF sand INTO the excavation.
and. turning IiI~ tail to the stone, pro
rrs-ced To PUSH ite PARTICLES from tile
bottom oil tie. iiu!t. 10 the top of the
heap by placil1 IT. two claws together
with the tips iairling SO that the sand
ronld np! slide back lii effect the
t;l;iws ~srvr.; rs shovel
After tie lobster, tad III this man
uer built Tor themselves caves for de |
ieiisivr purposes they planted them
selves with then backs to the stone |
ami KEPT then little black, beadlike
eyes rowing outward III every direction.
When took my place to watch
uothng was stirring
Now and then a lobster would climb
out OF his retreat and explore the i'm
mediate neIghborhood
Suddenly, finding an intrenched lob
ster, the errant ADVENTURE would as
sault it Then would ensue the biggest
kind of II 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
drawn battle, each retreatng to his
hole with the loss of a claw or of one
Or two antenna
But when two or three Holsters at
f2nkQ6 in q, 4
light was soon over The miserable
victim was dragged out on the arena {
py the sharp pincers of the besiegers. {
ana III trice he was killed. 1t re-
4fIred but few minutes for the can
nIbals to dismember and eat up their &
Victim, dragging the bits to different c
parts of the aquarium, as dogs would Il
bones r
These attacks are always made at T
light. | was SO fortunate as to see an q
'ther raid, but it was not ike that de- g
crbed above. One of the Holsters | q
nat had emerged from his lair in pur- h
ult OF food was himself pursued in ii
urn. Caught mapping away from his n
astle by three or four enemies. it sent >,
led over the sand toward one corner | a
: 49, 'N1 fAIL6T uliEi went the |
tIrsuers heller SHELTER and while the n
ttfsued resorted to lodging tactics r.
III would be admired by football e,
Usher, the pursuers separated and b.
osed in around the doomed creature r
1t is by curious instinct that the
ursuit is made In the night. because it
evidently to the advantage of the
1rsuer. on the principle in war that -
gilt attacks are more successful than q
lose by daylight. a.
Marks OF these midnight forays were tic
be found in the morning in the frag- ab
ents of shells The result of canni- 10,
liisrn among the young Holsters is otl
at out of a hundred about twenty ~
re survive, a demonstration of the ba
arwinian law of the survival of the | Al,
test
In the cannibai stage of their ex -,
ence they are about three-ouarters -
an inch in length, and when the sur
1ors grow to be two and a half inches -,
length from the tail to the tip of the D.
ws they have outgrown their blood 40
rsty Instincts. New York Herald. n.