The Savannah morning news., 1900-11-18
THE MORNING NEWS SUNDAY. NOVEMBER 1s 1900.

on hsh. hut upon microscopic animals and
PLANTS. which ave and hoat .u ne water
ana That the Ltlo crab. ahoae limbs are
so soft AMI yieldrz. could have neither
ne strength nor the power 60 pinch or
morsels % food from an ordinary nsh
Another story. which held ifs oru uutl
!1to Ia the last century. saf that tl.s DE
DE- crab piayed tne part % thc klnG
JackaI" who hunted by night Tor h.a
majesty the lion. It would sally forIh 20
hunt and bring food 20 the helpless mussel
or oyster. and on returning from noe
hunt. should 81 md tho house closed.
would give cry, which was recognize
hy its host. tho door instantly opened.
and Il was allowed O. enter study has
: shown that tho crab never leaves i.s home.
and caunot sry. bur as With the l.on. VINO.
in fact often gets the food Tor the 1aekti.
- % Is that the little crab feeds upon the
F substances which arc swept .n by the
current % water made hy the biyalve in
order 10 bring IN lu own food and 90
( freshen che water Tor its respiration.
Again the crab was said 60 warn its
projecting host from danger IS timely
pinch. no thar the doors could d. closed
I against some crafty octopus or lrNit.oua
siar nsh. ard for which service the cfao
was rewarded hy board ana lodging
blvafve was used hy the ancients 20 Illus
trate how helpless IS "a man without
f friend Even cicero 81 said 20 have uaei
f this smile. and We ma rho same idea eN-
pressed BY the Egyptians IN their Hero
+ giyphic writings.
The oyster crab. - - true. may act 10
such a manner that q warns the oyster
I ~ the approach q danger but We scarce
lv believe that % IL anything but o per~
f sonal motive on SIS part We nineteenth
+ century folks DO not believe that any iu-
I tcLigent understanding exists between ihe
two We have all seen how "a crah WIZ
7 hurry back and forth on the approach o.
danger win DART into ne first crcFiee 70
escape STE foe. and when in safety brand
ish iis formidable claws with the Creates
show Of bravery. 30 the little PInnotheref
ray. with the same instinct run back
and forth within the sensitive mantle OF
the oyster. and retrcating push against
t les soft body which viii indicate 10 ihe
] el9shfui intclllgence Of its host mat some
7 thing Is wrong outside, when 10 viii dis
creetly close It's shell. az the better part
/ OF valor.
The oyster crab r. about tho eize o.
/ Large pea the body IS Elobular. the legs
/ small ana weak. and IL differs from nearly
overy other crab iu having perfectly
soft Welding skin IN fact. IL was always
''soft shellcd crab"
The Pinnotheres are found all over the
I world wherever we ina oysters. musseit'
/ or Feailops from the Antarctic ocean 70
/ the frozen North but q seems that they
i are only used as table delicacy by me
/ American people In the West indHes thrre
I "a an oyster which attaches itself 70 the
I long roots Of the manrrove trees Nheh
I Columbus first saw them De was greatly
I astonishad to ma among the many Won
I d.rs Of the Western World oyster-benting
I trees. and having read that pearls were
/ formed in oysters by drops 81 dew tallnk
I into their open mouths reported 40 the
I credulous Europeans that the m~nstoNe
oyster must yield an abundant harvest.
Tor The dew was 30 heavy IN these tropical
Z islands. Dr. Patrick Browne. however
tela us. IN 1885, that the oyster crah Is
very common in the mangrove oyster
I ana such as eat them DO not think mem
/, bit the worse for being Accompanied
I vylth some Of these crabs, Which 'heF
swallow with the (shelD fish.
These crabs arc quite common ~ ""
I true pearl oyster OF the indian ano i"t
/ ifc oceans. and .here Is specimen ~
I one of tfwse shells IN which male =
Jrnnriaoned IN the substance Of the shell
/ ara covered over with a layer OF moth't
~ peari. The little fellow probably en-
1 tered the oyster Ia search 81 ms "i''',
ara not nnding her wandered about ana
anauv passed between the mantle OF tne
oyster and the shell, whore ne was i'"'-
~ enshrouded IN mother n pearl
There are about IS kinds Of crabs ne
,o,,,tr, 40 the oyster crab family, oil
mora or less related. All Of them are
| rnail and OF A retlrsng deposition. some
40 not live within the shells Of a pfo'ec, Z.
/ ing hty-aive but hidden within rinAi
1 hoieu Naturailsts can, by the etuay OF
| these animals. trace the diHerent st'lE
I from the free crab. badang IN poles "i'h
/ crcvieos 90 those which enter the open
4 mouths OF oysters. where. being pl"te,,-
"a from the attacks Of enemies ana nav
[ inc 10 food brought 90 q by the eNef-
t,ons Of is host. q spends its entire hie
Rut perhaps the most curious hahit
[ found in any crab Is that OF q near TO-
| ,ntion OF the oyster crab, Whlch we may
[ oau the coral erab" TINS very small
animal after the free Zoea ne common
40 nost crabs. settles down IN the tork
OF n growing coral ond waits Tot nom"
40 be built up around g. A. the coral
srows the crab Is slowly surrounded hy
Inc hard skeleton OF the polyps. a very
v.ouderfm equilibrium H. now fofmed.
.rhe crab must grow just as fast and no
| faster than the coral. for " II d'a not
keen pace with the growth OF the c0fa4
4, would be soon walled in ana no room
I siiovred for its future CROWN. 30, unth
,ha crab has reached It's full size, about
/ one-ouarter OF an inch. Il lies ~ cup
I ebaneA hollow. with lts opening on
I level with the coral polyps. When tne
y IN s~rovyth OF the crab has been attained
the coral-polyps would now certainty
ciose in over the uttle crab and make
a a prisoner. as did tho pearl oyster,
I'm, the currents OF water made by the
/ crab in breathing force the polyps 20
grow aianting from the mouth OF her
I 80 40 that IN time "A long funncl-lke
openIng leads past the growing p"lyp"
10 Inc body OF the little crab.
we have here beautiful adaptation.
-rha crab choose It's own place among
the coral branches. and then gently forces
me workrnen 20 build q a safe and COM
Portable home.
SHE FOOLED THE WISE MAN.