The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-09-27

4 ASo VI uuhNutS, anu dIlST lnlS WAS Tree
the right quickly followed in the same
which now looked like open clam
shells, hanging from the under part of
the body. The operation looked so
extremely painful and eXhausting that
more sthan once | thought of offering
my assistance.
AT this stage of the operation the
lobster presented very queer appear
ance, the head and shoulders out OF |
the original shell and resting on the |
top of it, while the only part of the |
body that remained enclosed was the |
long, flexible tail
Evidently he had concluded that he |
had done enough for the day, and that |
he needed some recuperation before he
began the task of squeezing the bal |
ance of his body out of its casing, and
lay quite still from late in the after
noon until late the next morning. |
was puzzled as TO the manner in which
he would escape from the shells
which covered the tail. as they Joined
together only at the sides, and tele-
scOped into each other; and Won
dered whether a separate operation
would be necessary for each one. l,
therefore, watched him closely.
He concluded his long rest in the
morning by a repetition of the Shud-
ders, which developed into commissions,
unlike those previously experienced
in that, instead of starting from the
head, they were reversed, so that the
body seemed to shrink from the tail
This was varied occasionally by a sort
of a jump, which was effected by the
lobster doubling his tail under him,
and Springing up in the water.
Presently the shell nearest the head
split on the left side near the body,
and opened about an eighth of an
inch. Another CONFUSION, followed
by a jump, and the second shell split.
This part of the operation, which re-
minded me- somewhat of dance that
had its origin in this country at the
Worlds Fair, was repeated until all
the shells were lOOSened on the left
side. The lobster once more began
the squeezing process, and after half
an hours hard work finally got clear
| of the shell entirely, lying down by
| its side for rest which lasted for
| three days.
The shell looked much the smaller
| of the two; and save that it was mo-
| tiOnlesS might have been taken for
| live and healthy crustacean in full
| dress. The naked lobster did not look
| at all like his old self. His colors
were so bright as to suggest that he
| had been parboiled, and he had the
tender appearance of human flesh
from which the skin had just been
| removed.
4 took out the shell, and upon eX-
! animation could hardly believe that
the former had squeezed out of it. so
small was the orifice through which
! he had come. Not only had he left the
major part of his eyes, but also the
lining of his stomach, including his
| internal teeth, yet he seemed to be lit
tie worse for the thorough turnout.
touched him and found that, although
quite soft, he was covered with an in
cipient shell of the approximate solid
| ity of oiled tissue. That he did not
like to be touched was made apparent
| by his efforts to get away from my
! hands.
During the three following days the
shrimps worried him to a considerable
| extent: but he grew with marvellous
rapidity until he was fully half as big
| again as he had been, and when | once
| more touched him, the shell on his big
claws was sufficiently hard to give me
a spiteful nip. When l placed the lob
ster in the aquarium he was without
his big left claw which had been ac-
| cidently wrenched off at the time of
| MS capture. ne stump n6dleu very
quickly; hard, calcareous seal en-
crusting the end of the joint.
When he worked himself out Of his
old she'll he appeared with a rudimen-
tary left claw, which had evidently
| formed behind the shield. This claw
grew even more rapidly than the rest
of the body, and by the time the new
shell was hard the new claw, though
| still diSprOpOrtiOnate, was of very SER
viceable dimensions. This is charac-
| teristic of both Holsters and crabs
| They sometimes appear to dismember
| themselves voluntarily. They appar-
emily feel that they can make a better
| job of an entire limb than of a single
| joint of one. If, in taking crab from
| ermOSt joint of one of his big claws,
| he will presently jerk away the rest
| of the limb right up to the shoulder.
| He does not simply drop it; he actu-
ally and Enthusiastically casts it from
| him. 1t is useless; and he at once
| sets to work to grow a new one.
| Since the operation which [ have
| just described took place, l have wit
messed several more Holsters go
J through the same process. They have
varied slightly as to the length of time
which they took to accomplish the
| change, but in every other way the
mode of splitting the shell and squeez-
| ing their bodies out has been identi-
| cal.