Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1892-11-08
7IFTEEN CENTS A WEEK
EALING SANO ELEAS.
An Aged Gentleman VINO Believes in
Utilizing Everything That Is Good.

Utillzlng Everything EhRt is Good
1t was most weird and curious spec
tacle. The night was dark, the moon hav-
ing not yet risen. A lantern with a re-
Sector, set upon the sand of Asbury Park,
threw a bright light across the beach
toward the water. In front of it was
spread piece of cheesecloth about six feet
long by five feet wide. At the edge of the
breakers queer looking old gentleman In
speetales and bathing hat was caperins
around, brushing the surface of the sand
vigorously with handkerchief On further
inspection it became apparent that he was
engaged in driving toward the lantern a
multitude of little hopping creatures.
These queer things that hoped were
quickly seen to be of the species known
familiarly as sand fleas" or sand hop
pers." But whereas they are ordinarily to
be observed only occasionally by ones or
twos, here there seemed to be literally
myriads of them. The method adopted by
the person In speotacles for driving them
was quite systematic. BY Tapping with
his handkerchief he caused them to travel
all In one direotion-toward the light,
which naturally attracted them, and they
were thus made to march in q hopping and
crawling army bo and upon the cheese
cloth, gathering around the glass lantern
and jumping against it.
When all Of them within range had been
driven upon the oheeseeloth he quickly
took up the latter by the corners and
dumped It's contents, whith must have
amounted to at least 500 hoppers, into a
small tin washboiler that was partly filled
with moist sand. Then he picked up all Of
his apparatus, including the lantern and
the cheesecloth, and moved away to an
other spot on the beach, where he set down
the lantern, spread the cheesecloth in front
of it as before, and began another drive
commencing to flap the sand with his
handkerchief at some distance away along
the waters edge, and gradually causing
the sand fleas to gather together from all
sides, moving in the direction of the Ian
tern. Apparently there were just as many
as had been found on the previous oeca
sion, and the manner in which they were
made to move strangely suggested pic.
lures which every one has seen Of the
process of driving fur seals.
You never saw anything like this be-
fore1" said the queer old gentleman
"That is because this is plan of my own
invention. 1t is funny how most people go
what Is under their notice. For example
I suppose that you never knew that the
beach-every seabeach, in fact-has noe
turnal population. At night when most
other marine creatures are fast asleep
these sand hoppers, which remain con-
cealed In the sand during the day, come
out to feed, They are not insects, as is
popularity supposed, but crustaceans, be-
longing to the same order as the crabs
and Holsters. II you will examine them
you will find that they are clad in very
elegant suits Of armor, and they have pow
erful legs with which to jump.
"One of these little fellows, though 1t is
rare 10 find one as much as an inch in
length, can leap eighteen inches. If you
were built equally well for jumping you
would think nothing of skipping 100 feet
az bound. These sand hoppers are the
scavengers of the beach. OF course there
is vast amount of organic refuse, both
animal and vegetable, thrown up by the
waves and the task of removing it and Of
keeping the beach always fresh and clean
is performed by the sand fieas, who come
out of the sand by millions as soon as night
falls, and clear away all such rubbish
They keep at the very edge Of the surf
where every receding wave leaves some
thing for their consumption, but though
the billows constantly flow over them
tk~ sassxs irsmsdiatsfy, because they
se sir tssssAfss ssanis and wculd be
drowned il submerged FOR any length Of
time"
'But what do you catch them for" was
asked OF the queer old gentleman.
"To eat," he replied. "They make an
admirable salad with mayonnaise dress
ing, and they are very good indeed simply
boiled, with pepper and vinegar. New
York World.