The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-08-13
A L0BSTER'S TOILET.
he AGONIZEs WHILE CHANGING
HIS DRESS.


They Are About to Shed-A Severe
Struggle for Days Before They
Leave the Old she'll, Parts of Their
Eyes and Innings of the Stomach.
to Grow and Form a New Covering.
Lobsters Particularly Good Eating
at the Time of Shedding.
New DIRK, Aug n.-"An young holsters
change their shell, or mott, several times
a year" said The Fulton market dealer,
land as they grow older the change takes
place less frequently. Unlike other deep
sea animals, the shell of the lobster does
not grow with the body. therefore nature
provided them with clothes which they
could throw off when they begin 10 III too
quick" 1t may easily be seen, therefore,
that as some of them grow to the length
of forty inches. beginning their career at
less than an inch in length, the changing
must take place a great many times.
LAS nearly everybody knows" continued
the dealer The lobster invariably leaves
the coast as the winter season advances,
and seeking the deep water, escapes the
extreme cold weather and water. But, as
the spring approaches, back comes the
lobster to the coast TO feed upon mousks
and other sea foods that subsist in shall
low waters. The shedding process takes
pace usually during the hottest months of
the year, and occasionally one is cap
tured by fishermen while the operation is
under way. but this seldom happens, as
the lobster usually hides away in the
crevices of some rocky bottom of the sea
during the transformation.
He shows considerable sense in this
matter of retiring at this period, for the
reason that he has practically no means
of defense, his embryonic claws being soft
for several days after he has pulled them
out of the old Shells and were he 10 re-
main in his usual haunts he would In all
probability, be devoured by his fellow dem
liens of The sea. Connoisseurs of sea foods
are very partial TO Holsters THAI are about
20 shed their armOr, or Immediately after
the operation has taken place, as the meat
is particularly hard and the flavor more
intense during that period.
Il have made study OF this particular
crustacean and have witnessed the disrob-
ing and robing operation on several occa-
slons. Up at my house, ] have an inn
provised salt water aquarium which con-
tains a considerable amateur collection
gathered at various times during my con-
nection with the market business, and sew
eral Holsters have used it as a dressing
room.
Il had long desired to witness one OF
/ these operations of the toilet but l had
1 been unable to procure a .Omster that was
not too far advanced to be of any use
| when one day a specimen was brought TO
| my pace of business that, Judging from
! his actions, had reached the conclusion
| that his Old suit was becoming too small
! and new one was necessary. When plac-
ed upon table, he immediately turned
/ over on his back, and at intervals of per-
| hsps five minutes, a shudder ran through
/ his entire body, even to the tips of his
claws and legs; but the closest examina-
| tons failed 10 reveal any trace of the
/ parting Of the shell which l had observed
! in specimens that were farther advanced.
From his size and weight-he was rath-
err SMALL thought that the shedding pro-
cess which was about to take place would
! be the first that he had undergone, so I
! determined to see the whole operation
! through. | accordingly carried him home
| and placed him in the aquarium. AS
soon as he was in the water he made a
dash for some shrimps, which were in a
corner of the tank. After driving them
! away he made an effort to get into an
aperture formed by some stones that I
| had placed in the same corner. but which
was far too small to allow him to get in
| after several futile attempts 40 force h. $
! body through the opening, he turned over
on his back and the shudders which had
! been so noticeable down town began again.
! These continued all night, and in the morn
! ing I found my lobster apparently in his
! last agones. He lay on his back and rub
| bed his legs convulsively together as If in
! intense pain, and then he wriggled about
! and jerked himself violently upward by
means of his tail 1 suppose that these
operations had as their object the loosen
! ing of the claws and limbs in their sheaths
| but at that time l feared that he was in
! his death throes.
1.-The spasms continued for an hour or
more, and efforts were apparently made
| TO burst the shell open from the inside. A
faint line, hardly percep ible at first, made
! its appearance running from the head
( down the center of the back. and, after
! each convulsion became broader. Gradu-
! ally the headpiece began to break close to
| the shell of the back, and as each break
/ ran from the starting point on the top Of
the neck, the lobster. after considerable
! violent effort, suddenly withdrew his head
from its covering, leaving the larger part
/ OF his eyes in the headpiece which hung
| from the shell is If Il were hinged.
after the lobster had succeeded in the
division of his head, he was apparently in
! a very exhausted state for he remained
/ very quiet for a couple of hours, and paid
no attention 10 the shrimps which were
swimming close to him. When the couple
! of hours had elapsed l began to think the
operation had been TOO much for the Job
/ ster and that he was dead, but the shld-
ders suddenly began again, followed by
more wrigging and struggling, then the line
which l mad noticed the first thing in the
morning broadened out until the shell down
the entire length of the back had spit
open.
The lobster gradually squeezed his left
shoulder out of its armor by a series of
lunches and after this one was free the
right one quickly followed in the same
manner the divided shoulder shells, which
now looked like open clam shells, hanging
from the under part of the body The
operation looked so extremely painful ana
exhausting that more than once l thought
Of offering my assistance.
"At this stage of the operation the lob
ster presented a very queer appearance,
the head and shoulders out of the original
she'll and resting on the top OF il, while the
only part OF the body that remained en-
closed was the comparatively long and fiex-