The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1899-09-21
Blue Crab and Minnow'

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catching Ash II will lie 10 shallow wal
er molionless, with the piucer claws Ell
Tended and pincers open. waiting for q
chance TO nip q mnDow. II one coming
swim ming along through the water
should happen TO pass between those
open jaws. suddenly the jaws close and
that Is the last OF tho minnow. But the
blue crab can do better than this; some
times it will hold molionless 10 one CLAW .
shred Of something on which II has been
| feeding ss bait for minnows. holding OF
the same time Its other big CLAW, with
the pincer open. waiting. The minnows
come up. charging for the food held in the
closed claw but there are likely to be
enough OF them to spread, and they may
come from various directions, so that
more than likely one will come within the
waiting pinoers OF the opposite CLAW, and
when one does the proceedings ara closed
for the time being.
Bot sometimes the minnows get the
blue crab, as they may do when the crab
is shedding. The crab knows when that
time is coming. and then it makes for
place where it can shed its shell and stay
10 safety until its new shell is sufficiently
hard to protect il. The crab comes in
with the tide and makes for some place
on the bottom 10 shallow water, perhaps
along the edge OF the eel gr.se, or under
some protecting patch OF ulvs, and then
proceeds TO di. q hole in which II can
stay sfter it has shed its shell until IL Is
strong Q. ouah TO go about. IL digs the
sand or mud up around from under itself.
and, as likely as not, leaves its discarded
shell, in most lilelike form, up on the
sand OF the edge Of the hole in front Of
it This she'll would frIghten away some
small fisbes bat would not dare to tackle
q crab 10 its ordinary condition. The
discarded shell 10 help TO fishermen who
are hunting crabs, because il shows
where a crab may be found, and weak
feb, which come inshore 10 shallow water
to feed, hunt up soft crabs by searching
the neis hborbood Of the spot where they
find 3 shell. iust as flsbermsn would do.
When the crab frst sneds its shell II IS
perfectly helpless. Its new shell Is ss yet
so soft that is no protection 20 it sLd no
support, tie crab cannot even stand up.
The shell hsrdens rapidly, and il may be
That by the time OF The next full tide the
,rsb will be able TO move about and de
lend itself; bat f,rs time after 1t sheds il
Is helpless.
That is when the minnow gets the
,rsb The crab may have been left by
he recediug tide above the edge OF the
water. When the incoming ii 10 has again
severed the crab and surrounded it with
water to the depth Of 40 inch or two the
nipnows may discover II. and they come
winning slong through the shallow
water 10 attack ii. 3 metimes fisher
nsu discovers sscft crab by the splash
ng the mInnows kick up around 1t. II
the minnows s~arming
Iround the helpless crab will kill and est
I But sometimes smother blue crab will
,ppesr and break up the minnows feast
This Is q blue crab that has not shed its
hell, bat has its armor on. II comes
talking 10 among the minnoTs, perhsps
tipping one OF them 10 one Of its pincer
,lsws ss il comes up, and dispensing the
est
The blue crab is 9 csnnibal; 1t will eat
Is own kind. II when this crab comes
Ip there is any OF the soft crab left the
Iewcomer will very likely eat thst FIRST,
nth one clsw holding meanwhile in ils
ther the wriggling minpow which 1t hsd
eiz ID 81 the outset, keeping thst TO top
q With.