Evening star., 1921-07-24
Curious Facts About
the Hard-Shell Crab

stem with great numbers of berries
attached to it by short tendrils. From
this resemblance the crab when bear
ing eggs is sometimes said to be "in
berry," or "berried." There are also
eight tufts or clumps of eggs corre-
spending to the eight inner branches
or the ''swimmerets."
These tufts are SO large, however,
that they are all crowded together so
that there is formed a fattish mass
and one and three-auarters deep.
From its general appearance and
color this mass is commonly known
as sponge, Orange, lemon.
punk" or ball" The number Of eggs
on the hairs of the "swimmerets" 10
sponge" at from 100000 to 100000
There is a belief that the young. on
Matching. turn about and devour the
mother crab, but this is not true
though they will eat any dead crab
they find. for that is crab nature. The
crab cats many kinds of. food. but he
is a cannibal and scavenger. He stalks
small fish and seizes them by a re-
markably quick motion Of his large
claws. He will eat the tender shoots
of aquatic plants, the wood Of sunken
logs and timber but his favorite food
is meat. An injured crab. il thrown
into the water, will be eaten by other
crabs. A soft-shell crab, which Ia
blue crab that has shed his shell, is
in danger of being attacked by crab
that Is not helpless.
One Of the many strange things
about the crab is called by the scien-
fists "autotomy," which is the ability
to throw of certain parts of its body
and then renew them. IL a crab is held
or seized by claw or leg 1t often
cspes. The break In always made at
q point near the body where there is
an arrangement. provided by nature,
which prevents excessive bleeding.
Then the crab proceeds to produce
another leg or claw. As an example
parts. the bureau of fisheries has the
record of a female crab that was kept
under observation in small cage
In the water. When captured its left
claw was missing. The reproduction
process went on. and at the end Of
| fifty-one days II had grown a left
claw which was of the same size as
its right. 1t has been determined that
/ the life of crab is about three years,
and that 1t ''molts" or sheds its shell
about fifteen times.
DR.. w. P. Hay of the bureau OF
! fisheries, wrote report in 1904 on
the life history of the blue crab, and,
discussing its general habits, he said
that either in the water or on the land
! "the blue crab Is an animal Of great
1 activity and has considerable power
of endurance" Progression through
the water is effected by means of a
sculling motion of the broad oarlike
hind legs, and under ordinary con-
ditions Is slow. the effort of the AMI
NAL being apparently only to keep
itself afioat. while 1t is borne along
by the current. Under these condi,
| tions the movements is either back
ward or sidewise. The legs are
! brought together above the back and
then downward. making from twenty
/ to forty strokes a minute. but when
the crab is alarmed he strikes out
=. with great vigor and rapidity. moving
] it's paddles too swiftly for the eye TO
I follow. 1t moves through the water
{ almost as fast as a fish and sinks
! quickly below the surface. On the
| bottom and undisturbed the crab
| walks slowly about on the tips OF the
second, third and fourth pairs of Its
legs. sAt this time the crab moves
| backward, forward or sideways. The
crab mates in July and August. 1t
spawns the following year. Crabs are
migratory: Those In the Chesapeake
bay 70 to the lower or southern end IN
winter and move northward in sum-
mer. The females also go TO the south
end of the bay to spawn and the
young crabs as soon as able to travel
alone move northward.
The supply OF crabs has been di-
minishing and the states of Maryland
and Virginia. with the help Of the
United States. are going to see to 1t
that the crab shall not be extermi-
mated az have been the terrapin, can
vas back duck and various other spe-
cies Of nsh and Wild fowl. -