Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-04-22
A LOBSTER

self forward fCcbly leaving the shell of tho tail behind. However. so quickly does the process of Cxudntion go on that tho new shell is perfectly formed in few days and tho lobster leaves his temporary retreat.
 Tho manner in which lohstcrS move is very ingenious Tho legs proper arc the only limbs that arc used. The tail, claws etc, arc kept motionlcsS and in such a position as to offer the least possible rcSiSt- ance to tho water. Daring this progross the long tcntaClCS arC continually moving from side to side feeling tho way and in- cidcntally looking out for enemies or dan ger. should danger be apprchrndcd the lobster at once backs with very marvellous rapidity in which operation the tail Is used in cases of extreme urgency.
 Although everybody who has seen n lob stcr must have noticed that one claw is larger than the other, few persons know the reason for this disparity of sizc or tho real usts of tho claws. Their chief use is for the purpose of capturing and prrparing food, but they arr also used as instruments of attack and defense.
 It has been commonly believed that their fond consists uf dcCaying or dcCom- posing bodies of fishes and other animals but this k entirely crronCOuS. As mat ter of fact, the lobster Is very careful in the selection of his food, and unless his usual food Is scarce or entirely absent from his locality hc never eats anything that Is | not perfectly sound. The natural food con | sists of cEms, musScls, small oysters and the smaller kinds of shcllfsh, usually bi- valves.
 The larger claw takes the place of the molars in tho higher animals. With this the lobster Gra$ps the bivalve and cruShcs 1t, and then the smaller claw which Is thickly set with incisors is used for di- viding tho softer portions of the prey and prcparinz the food. While the process of crushing the shells and preparing the flesh l of the bivalvcs Is going on the little horns on the end of the tail and also those on the thorax show their usefulness by holding l tho prcy or food while tho claws are doing the slaughtering and butchering work. Connected with this uso of tho claws, and also with rcfcronco to their utility in defense and attack, 1t is highly interesting to observe the remarkable faculty for ro pairing injuries which is possessed by tho lobster. For instance, whom 6 claw is in jurcd, while crushing shells or during ( fight, tho limb at once snaps of at tho sec | ond joint, whc5c the diameter Is least, and | the animal does not seem to suffer tn, | slightest inconvenience from tho loss. Tn, | limb fills out at tho next cxuViatinn, but in the case of full grown lobster tho los. Is never supplied.
 LobstCrs arc endowed with very wei developed scnsc of smell, and for this rCaSOr they avoid as much as possible thosc part, of the bottom whcrO dccompusinS anima | matter lies unless it becomes ncccSSary through lack of their natural food, to hay, rccoursc to that unSavury diet This sens, also enables them to discover tho pruNim ity of many of their enemies.
 | Concerning these holes or rctrVatS thcr, exists a very interesting item in tho Tiff | and habits of the lobster. Every luhStC builds "r scoops out a home for himself il tho mud ur sand beneath some shclVin in; | rnCk. The claws and legs play no psrt il the digging opcration-in fact il iS SrlCl | owing tu Inc wonderful cont ractahlc puwc of the tail. somewhat akin to that pos seSScd by tho human fingers, that tn work of excavation is done. The tall | first drawn up with as much mud or sant as possible in its curved or spOOnlike form the animal thon jerks the tail suddcnI forward, throwing out the sand and at tn same time drawing tho animal farther int the cavity, and 50 on until the retreat large enough.
 These holes arc primarily intended fO shelter during the period of cxuviation but they also serve as refuges at Othe times.
 This Is, in short, tho life history of tn , lobster, and those who favor lobster boilsd, broiled, in salad or otherwiSe-wil , be pleased to learn that their favOrite shell , fish feeds only on the most dainty Us wei as the health giving forms of fO'd-
 ROB. F WALSH